Trump blasts Biden for transition, ban on offshore oil drilling

Written by on January 7, 2025

Trump blasts Biden for transition, ban on offshore oil drilling
Antoine Gyori – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images

(WASHINGTON) — President-elect Donald Trump made remarks at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday, where he also is expected to take reporter questions.

Trump kicked off the presser by announcing a $20 billion investment in the U.S. from DAMAC Properties, a Middle East-based company.

Trump said the investments will focus on building new data centers across the Midwest and Sun Belt.

He quickly shifted focus, however, to criticizing the Biden administration’s recent actions — including a move to ban all future offshore oil and natural gas drilling off America’s East and West coasts.

“We are inheriting a difficult situation from the outgoing administration, and they’re trying everything they can to make it more difficult,” Trump said, contending this is not a “smooth transition.”

On Biden’s oil drilling ban, Trump vowed: “I will reverse it immediately. It’ll be done immediately. And we will drill baby drill.”

Trump, who last held a news conference in mid-December, is speaking to the press one day after his 2024 election victory was certified by Congress. The Monday ceremony, which marked a return to a peaceful transition, came exactly four years after a mob violently stormed the Capitol and disrupted the counting of President Joe Biden’s electoral win.

Republicans are preparing for Trump to visit Washington on Wednesday, ABC News has learned. Currently, lawmakers are debating how best to fund Trump’s major policy initiatives once he is back in the White House.

This is Trump’s second news conference since becoming president-elect.

In his first, on Dec. 16, Trump took questions for nearly an hour on everything from vaccine mandates to foreign wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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