The Trump administration’s first sale of Venezuelan oil to a U.S. buyer landed with a familiar name: a company linked to one of the president’s biggest campaign donors.
The initial deal, worth about $250 million, went to Vitol, the world’s largest independent oil trader. A senior Vitol trader involved in securing the contract has poured millions into political action committees backing Donald Trump’s re-election and met with the president at the White House just days before the agreement was finalized.
That senior oil trader is John Addison, and one of Trump’s most generous supporters. According to donor records compiled by OpenSecrets, Addison gave $5 million in October 2024 to Maga Inc and more than $1 million to two other Trump-aligned political action committees. In total, his donations tied to Trump’s re-election effort amounted to about $6 million.
The post Trump Hands First Sale of Swiped Oil to His Megadonor’s Company appeared first on The Daily Beast