U.S. Congressman August Pfluger said former President Donald J. Trump’s visit to Midland-Odessa for a fundraising lunch was a success Wednesday with Pfluger saying Trump will fight for every single person in the Permian Basin and the country.
Pfluger and his wife, Camille, greeted the former president at the Midland International Air & Space Port on the tarmac and then joined the convoy to the Midland Country Club for the fundraiser. Pfluger said both he and Trump were touched by the thousands of people lining the roads with flags in a show of support for Trump.
“What an honor for Camille and I to be the first to greet him to the Permian Basin and he felt right at home and was thrilled to be here,” Pfluger said via phone following the event. “He felt right at home and thrilled to be here and the first thing he talked about was energy dominance and he knows and spoke multiple times today about ‘drill baby drill’ in the most important and prolific area for production.”
He said the crowd at the lunch was a good one and he was proud the fundraiser took in more than the Houston fundraiser, which was also on Wednesday.
“President Trump was excited to be in Texas and in Midland and Odessa and said thank you,” Pfluger said of the energy sector. “His understanding of what we do here is amazing … he knows how hard it has been the last three or four years under the Biden Harris administration.”
Pfluger said as they rode to the private event and saw all the people that he told Trump: “The people love you.” He said the former president wondered if they should have done a public event but Pfluger said he assured him the people of Midland-Odessa know he needs fundraisers to go to the places where folks don’t line the streets to spread his message.
Pfluger said Trump touched on just about “every issue” during the event. “He talked about the lack of border security under Harris and issues around the world,” Pfluger said. “But we saw a side of Trump we don’t usually see … he was self-deprecating and was very engaged and he was just a guy you want to sit and talk to.”
Pfluger was particularly touched by Trump talking about his time in office and going into Iraq when he was president. “I was fighting in Iraq at that time,” Pfluger, a former Air Force pilot, said. “He talked about how he talked to military leaders and got an assessment of what it would take to defeat Isis … they told him they already knew but Obama wouldn’t listen … President Trump used that story to say we know what the problems are and we are going to go back to solving them.”
President Trump also detailed how proud he was of his vice presidential running mate, J.D. Vance, and his performance during a Tuesday night debate.
Trump told the group he had been questioned about why he picked Vance as a running mate. He said now the country knows why and it is because he is sharp, articulate and concise. Trump said he is very proud of Vance.
Pfluger said it was a great crowd of true pioneers in the industry who want to see the country succeed. “They dug deep and I’m proud of this area,” Pfluger said. “It strikes me when I think of the Permian Basin for 70, 80, 90 years … and every single time we go through a downturn or a tough time or an oil embargo … whatever it is we always get back up. And guess what? That is the same for President Trump. He always gets back up and fights. He will fight for the Permian Basin and will stand up for the whole country … I look forward to his inauguration in January.”
