In an example that may demonstrate how Trump's tariff policy is about amassing influence and not economic policy, a fossil fuel industry that donated to Trump in record amounts and remains closely tied to the regime through the numerous folks with industry ties appointed to the US administration, received an exemption from the tariffs.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/04/trump-exempts-big-oil-donors-from-tariffs

‘Oligarchy’: Trump exempts big oil donors from tariffs package

"The exemption came after the fossil fuel industry poured $96m into Trump’s re-election campaign and affiliated political action committees, as he pledged to deregulate the sector and roll back environmental regulations. This was less than the $1bn Trump requested from the sector in an infamous meeting at his Mar-a-Lago club, but still constituted record levels of spending.

“Oil and gas billionaires just bought themselves an exemption from Trump’s tariffs,” Stevie O’Hanlon, spokesperson for youth-led environmental justice group the Sunrise Movement, said on Thursday. “While the rest of us have to deal with skyrocketing prices and rising temperatures, they’re sitting on their thrones and raking in billions. We need an end to this oligarchy now.”

In the first three months of his second term, Trump has made good on his promises to attack green policies. He has also maintained a cozy relationship with the industry, appointing an array of industry interests to his administration.

Last month, the president held a meeting with more than a dozen oil executives at the White House, where he floated an energy exemption from his tariff package, according to the Washington Post, with one source telling the outlet that it was unclear if Trump was making a joke or a serious policy pledge."

Because Trump's tariffs are effectively a regressive, compounding tax that therefore harms labor class people way more than it harms the wealthy, there's a valid argument that exempting fossil fuel products from the tariffs represents an effort to mitigate the increased costs of Trump's mafia-style shakedown on regular people. The problem with that idea of course, is that Trump himself is *directly* responsible for those increased costs due to these tariffs (again, which function as a regressive compounding tax on labor class people) as part of his destructive global trade war, and thus clearly does not give a fuck about consumers. What he does care about however, is an oil and gas industry that happily turned over vast sums of money to fuel his political career; who will now be exempt from the tariffs threatening to bankrupt other American businesses and millions of average people who don't benefit at all from fossil fuel lobby donations.

Günther Thallinger, board member of Allianz SE:

“At 3C of global heating, #climate damage cannot be insured against, covered by governments, or adapted. That means no mortgages, real estate development, no long-term investment, no financial stability. The financial sector as we know it ceases to function. And with it, capitalism as we know it ceases to be viable.”

The only solution was to cut #fossilfuel burning, he said, with everything else being a delay or distraction.

Periodic reminder that the #NewYorkTimes took money from the oil and gas industry while participating in spreading propaganda from the industry, since the 1970s.

And that shifted NYT's editorial staff views on the industry.

NYT was a key component of the #FossilFuel industry's disinformation machine.

And STILL with all that money from publishing disinformation, alas, we can't just click a NYT article and read it. It must be so hard for them.

https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/big-oil-pr-fossil-fuel-lobby-herb-schmertz/

@christineburns great, now we need to get rid of private #fossilfuel cars. Go for electric #carsharing with an app if you need a vehicle, otherwise use public transport. Private cars are a nonsense when 97% of their life they are sitting idle (in Europe).