It’s been a few weeks since The Washington Post first reported on Donald Trump teaming up with oil industry executives and making a “deal”: They would have to raise $1 billion to send him back to the White House, the Republican said, and if they did, he would reward them by eliminating environmental protections and approving new tax breaks.
The transaction Trump described, the newspaper added, “stunned several executives in the room.” It also sparked interest from Democrats in Congress, who have launched an official investigation.
But as brazen as this was, those representing Big Oil are not the only ones who have heard such statements from the presumptive Republican nominee.
The Post published a related report yesterday, highlighting comments Trump recently made to prominent donors, who heard the former president make a number of outrageous boasts. For example, he claimed that a businessman offered a $1 million contribution and asked to have lunch with the candidate. “You have to make it $25 million,” Trump claimed to have responded.
In the same comments, another contributor, who typically donates $2 to $3 million to Republicans, was told that Trump would be unhappy unless he donated $25 to $50 million.
Meanwhile, the Post report explains, the former president emphasized tax breaks he approved while in office that are about to expire.
The appeals are not subtle: If the reporting is true, Trump, desperate for donations, is telling his wealthy supporters that if they put money in his campaign coffers, he will put the money in their pockets.
It’s easy to forget, but eight years ago there were plenty of voters who were attracted to Trump because they admired his perceived wealth. If he were already rich, the argument went, the Republican wouldn’t have spent his time hoovering up elite donors, special interest groups and corporate lobbyists.
Eight years later, I have bad news for those who sincerely believed this.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
