Apr 30, 2020
US President Donald Trump threatened to remove US troops from Saudi Arabia if oil production did not decrease, according to a report from Reuters.
Reuters reported today that Trump told Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in an April 2 phone call that if OPEC did not cut production, he would not be able to stop the US Congress from passing a law to remove US troops from Saudi Arabia.
Trump also spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of his mediation to negotiate an end to the oil price war, which was hurting US oil companies.
Saudi Arabia is the largest oil producer in the world and a leader of OPEC. This year, it flooded the global market with oil amid a price war with Russia.
The United States sought a decrease in production, however; the coronavirus crisis and accompanying lockdowns and downturns in international travel greatly decreased global energy demand and threatened the US oil industry. On April 10, OPEC announced a slash in production.