Name: In Midland, Donald Trump calls Democrats a threat to Texas oil
Brand: houstonchronicle.com
SKU: houstonchronicle-com-236
Availability: OnlineOnly

critic

In Midland, Donald Trump calls Democrats a threat to Texas oil

preview

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateWith the presidential battle in the state tightening, President Donald Trump went to West Texas on Wednesday to cast himself as the savior of the state’s vital oil and gas economy, and to blast the Democrats who want to phase it out.“If they got in, you will have no more energy coming out of the great state of Texas,” Trump said while standing near an oil rig in Midland with less than 100 days until Election Day.Instead, he warned that the “zealots, radicals and extremists” are “trying to shut down your industry.” Before he took office, Trump said the industry was under constant attack from then-President Barack Obama — though it was Obama who lifted a decades-old ban on U.S. oil exportation, setting Texas on a path to become one of the world’s largest producers.“But the day I took the oath of office, we ended the war on American energy and we stopped the far-leftist assault on American energy workers,” said Trump.More for youThe president’s pro-oil pep talk comes two weeks after his rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, outlined a climate change program that would set the nation on a path to net-zero emissions by no later than 2050. Biden has said a key tenet of the $2 trillion plan is to help workers in the fossil fuel industries transition to well-paying jobs in other areas, including clean energy.OP-ED FROM ENERGY SECRETARY:While the Texas economy relies heavily on the oil and gas industry, Democrats have made the case that the environmental impact of those industries has resulted in more natural disasters such as Hurricane Harvey, which devastated parts of the state in 2017.Trump used his speech to highlight pro-industry steps he’s taken, including withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accords, approving the Keystone XL pipeline, blocking Obama’s clean power plans and opening up the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration.“The United States is now the No. 1 producer of oil and natural gas on the face of the earth,” Trump said.Yet the industry in Texas is still struggling from a coronavirus-related glut that has already cut an estimated 40,000 jobs compared to last year. The number of active rigs in the Permian Basin has dropped by more than 70 percent. Last year the nation had 946 active rigs. Now, there are 251, according to Baker Hughes.Trump acknowledged those troubles, related to a crash in oil prices crashed earlier this year, but claimed his negotiations with Saudi Arabia and Russia to cut production is saving the industry in Texas.“Hence, we’re OK now,” Trump said. “We’re back.”Democrats slammed Trump for making a mostly political trip to Texas as the state struggles through its worst month since the pandemic hit. More than 6,000 people in Texas have died from the virus, with more than 2,800 of those deaths in July.“Mr. President, now isn’t the time for politicking or photo-ops,” Biden said before Trump arrived in the state. “Texans need a president with the experience and vision to fight for families no matter how many catastrophes reach our shores.”Trump briefly addressed the pandemic in his remarks Wednesday.“Our hearts are with the people of Texas,” he said. “We love our people. We love our country.”He pointed to state data showing the number of new cases has begun to decline, but warned Texans need to remain vigilant.The virus impacted Trump’s speech on Wednesday, keeping U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, from flying with Trump on Air Force One because he tested positive for it.TRUMP VISITS CANCELLED:Houston Republican Wesley Hunt was expected to be in Midland for the event, but he too tested positive on Wednesday and scrapped those plans. Hunt was endorsed by Trump earlier this year in his race for the 7th Congressional District in Houston against Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston.Texas has not voted for a Democrat for president since 1976, but recent public polling has shown Biden and Trump in nearly a dead heat with early voting set to begin in less than three months.The trip to Texas was as much about raising money as anything for the Trump campaign, which has seen Biden pull in more contributions in both May and June. The Republican National Committee on Wednesday said the fundraising events in West Texas were scheduled to bring in around $7 million.After landing in Midland just before noon where he was greeted by Gov. Greg Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Trump headed to Odessa for a $2,800 per person fundraiser. For an additional $50,000, attendees were able to get a picture with Trump. And for an extra $100,000 they were part of an exclusive roundtable discussion with Trump, according to an invitation obtained by the Midland Reporter-Telegram.Those events were off-limits to the press.Later Trump traveled back to Midland to tour an oil rig and speak at Double Eagle Energy, a company whose co-founders have already given almost $74,000 to Trump’s re-election campaign and a political action committee supporting the president.One of those co-founders, Cody Campbell, called Trump an ally.“He has been a great supporter of the industry, and he understands the importance of oil and gas to the country,” Campbell told the Midland Reporter-Telegram.Staff writer Sergio Chapa contributed reporting from Houston.

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigateWith the presidential battle in the state tightening, President Donald Trump went to West Texas on Wednesday to cast himself as the savior of the state’s vital oil and gas economy, and to blast the Democrats who want to phase it out.“If they got in, you will have no more energy coming out of the great state of Texas,” Trump said while standing near an oil rig in Midland with less than 100 days until Election Day.Instead, he warned that the “zealots, radicals and extremists” are “trying to shut down your industry.” Before he took...

In Midland, Donald Trump calls Democrats a threat to Texas oil

No article scores yet.

CRITIC REVIEWS

PUBLIC REVIEWS