(Bloomberg) — Donald Trump raised $40 million from oil executives and other deep-pocketed donors in Texas, marking Wednesday’s haul as one of the most profitable days for the presumptive Republican nominee seeking to close a fundraising gap with President Joe Biden. The one-day cash raise from events in Houston and Dallas, described by people familiar with the events, comes as Trump directly appeals to the oil industry for support in his presidential bid with promises to dial back environmental regulations, which are drawing congressional scrutiny. Trump first met with donors at Houston’s posh Post Oak Hotel — a 700,000 square-foot mixed-use site owned by billionaire Houston businessman Tilman Fertitta that houses a Rolls Royce dealership and is topped with a helicopter pad.
Hotel guests have the option to purchase one of the Rolls Royce cars and charge it to their rooms. Trump later attended a dinner in Dallas. Trump made pledges to those in attendance in Houston — many of whom donned luxury fashion brands and cowboy boots — to “drill, baby, drill” and open up more areas for energy development.
Continental Resources Inc. Chair Harold Hamm and Occidental Petroleum Corp. Chief Executive Officer Vicki Hollub were among those present.
The oil and gas industry has increasingly shelled out to support Trump’s bid. It’s a relationship that has come under scrutiny by congressional Democrats, with two US Senate committees on Thursday opening an investigation into w.
