Politics
Trump, Rubio to spotlight Venezuelan oil during Texas campaign swing
President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are scheduled to tour a tanker carrying Venezuelan crude Tuesday, alongside rallies in Corpus Christi and Lubbock. The visit puts energy costs and a closely watched Texas Senate race at the center of the president’s trip.
President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are set to visit a tanker carrying Venezuelan crude in Texas on Tuesday, a planned stop that could highlight the administration’s push to bring down fuel prices.
The tanker tour is scheduled on the same day Trump plans to hold rallies in Corpus Christi and Lubbock, two Texas energy hubs. The events come as Republicans seek to build support in a tight Senate contest between state Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, and state Rep. James Talarico, a Democrat.
A U.S. official familiar with the plans said Rubio would travel with Trump in his role as national security adviser. Rubio was not expected to speak at either rally.
The visit is likely to draw attention to an oil arrangement Trump secured in August. The deal, as described by the administration, gives the United States majority control of more than 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil reserves. Trump has presented it as one of several measures intended to ease pressure on consumers at the pump, where voters remain concerned about the cost of energy amid the Iran war.
Rubio’s presence on the campaign swing is notable: unlike several other Cabinet officials, he has largely focused on his diplomatic duties rather than campaigning for Trump. The trip brings the administration’s foreign-policy and energy agenda directly into a state where oil and gas are central to the economy—and where the Senate race could help shape control of Congress.