As Trump and Biden are set once again to face off in a presidential election, Trump has renewed claims that Biden’s agenda has hurt energy producers, promising to hit rewind on Biden’s environmental policies. But the oil and gas industry in the United States has thrived under the current president, even as the Biden administration has touted its efforts to transition away from fossil fuels and towards green energy sources.
“For a company that claimed not too long ago that it was ‘working hard’ to increase oil production, handing out $75 billion to executives and wealthy shareholders sure is an odd way to show it,” said White House spokesperson Abdullah Hasan last year. Shareholders were also paid in the form of dividends. In 2023, ExxonMobil was the third-largest dividend payer in the S&P 500, behind only Microsoft and Apple, according to ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods.