You have this thesis that Trump wants higher oil prices. That he is motivated, in some way, to create higher oil prices. In another thread, you suggested this was because the oil companies donated a lot to his campaign. But Trump wouldn't care about that - there's almost nothing in his history that suggests he's inclined to "pay off" past favors if they don't serve his current interests.

God on Earth Trump rolled back vehicle fuel economy regs, to increase demand for gas. He repealed the incentives for EVs, to reduce alternatives to gas powered cars. He has pulled funding for wind and solar power generation programs, to increase demand for fossil fuel generated power. The regime tried to end the Energy Star program that promoted appliance energy efficiency. This regime is all about increasing demand for fossil fuels.

All you had to do, to see this coming, was listen to Doug Burgum's (formerly Gov of ND, now Sec Interior) speech at the GOP convention, and his ringing endorsement of "gas powered cars". The overall banner was "energy domination". How do you "dominate" global energy markets? The easy way is to bomb or blockade the production of competitors.

If you don't "pay off" for past bribes received, you reduce the probability of the same parties paying more bribes in the future.

Steve