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Trump touts Sullivan, makes unverified claim about Taiwan buying Alaska LNG at Wasilla rally
President endorses Wilson for governor; claim Taiwan will buy 30% of gas from pipeline comes as he repeats falsehood about South Korea’s investment in project
By Mark Sabbatini
Juneau Independent
President Donald Trump expressed strong support for U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan in Alaska’s tight U.S. Senate race and Bernadette Wilson among the three Republicans in the four-candidate governor’s race during a rally in Wasilla on Tuesday.
“In less than two years, Sen. Sullivan and I have delivered more for Alaska than any senator and any president,” Trump said during his 90-minute appearance at what appeared to be a full 3,500-seat Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center.
Trump also made a multitude of false and questionable statements before and during the rally. Among those were claims that Republican gubernatorial candidate Dave Bronson reneged on a promise to drop out of the race — which Bronson denied — and that Taiwan will buy 30% of the gas from a long-proposed pipeline in Alaska.
Other media coverage of President Trump’s visit to Wasilla:
– Trump went all the way to Alaska in a sign of just how close its Senate race may be (AP) – Trump rally brings pardons, promises and endorsements to Wasilla (Alaska Public Media)
– Trump rally puts Wasilla in national campaign spotlight (Alaska Beacon)
The claim about Bronson, a former Anchorage mayor, was made by Trump in a Truth Social message before the rally.
“Dave Bronson of Alaska begged me for my support and Endorsement, but I wouldn’t do it because he didn’t win the Primary and, therefore, wasn’t deserving of it. I then asked him to get out of the Race, and he agreed!” Trump wrote.
Bronson told the Anchorage Daily News on Tuesday his “recollection is different from the president’s.”
Media reports in the U.S. and Taiwan note officials in that country have not confirmed Trump’s deal involving the Alaska LNG Project. His announcement was made at the same time he repeated a false claim that South Korea is investing more than $50 billion in the project.
“Taiwan has just agreed to buy 30% of the gas coming off the pipeline for the next 20 years,” Trump said during the rally. “That guarantees the success. It's one of the biggest commitments in history for anything. It's one of the biggest deals ever made. They're going to pay it and that's a 20-year period that guarantees success. And Taiwan will also invest $4.4 billion into the project, on top of $50 billion already committed by South Korea to Alaska.”
The Taipei Times reported the country’s Ministry of Economic Affairs had no immediate comment about Trump’s announcement and that Premier Cho Jung-tai said the country’s effort to get a stable fuel supply "is a very long road."
Taiwan and South Korea last year reached non-binding agreements of intent related to the project. Those agreements and the pipeline itself are still far from certainties, due largely to concerns about the project’s financial feasibility among potential developers, customers and public officials.
South Korea also lodged a protest after Trump announced the country’s investment was a done deal, with Trump responding by telling reporters “I’ll just charge them more” — which some analysts stated could be a reference to imposing higher tariffs.
Trump has made multiple other false announcements about large-scale projects in the U.S. as he has sought to boost Republicans’ chances in November’s midterm elections.
Trump’s visit to Wasilla is part of a series of campaign stops in numerous parts of the country that typically elect Republican candidates as the party is increasingly facing the likelihood of losing control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections, according to widespread polling and other data. That possibility is being widely attributed to Trump as his approval ratings in recent months have plummeted due to economic and other concerns.
But Trump, among his many statements in Wasilla that have been made at previous rallies, urged the crowd to “pretend that I'm on the ballot.”
“Every time I've been on the ballot we win,” he said, a continuation of his ongoing false claim he was the true winner of the 2020 presidential election.
He also repeated a promise he’ll give all adult citizens $5,000 if Republicans maintain control of the House and Senate, which has been met with widespread questions about legality and doubts from voters the payouts would actually occur.
An executive action Trump fulfilled at the rally Tuesday was pardoning two co-owners of an Alaska auto shop convicted of Clean Air Act violations when they removed required air pollution control equipment on at least 37 vehicles between July 2019 and September 2020. A third co-owner of the shop was similarly pardoned last month.
“The concept is that if you allow people to fix the engines they're going to take all of the environmental crap that makes it bad, makes it inefficient, makes it expensive,” Trump said, describing what he called unfair prosecutions of the men. “That they're going to undo that, and when you undo that you therefore send fumes into the air. So we're going to put them in jail for 10 years.”
The rally was a daylong political milestone in a community whose residents gave Trump more than 75% of their votes in the 2024 presidential election. Roads near the center were closed and people began taking buses to the center at about 10 a.m., with other speakers — including Sullivan — making appearances before Trump took the stage at about 4:30 p.m.
There was plenty of activity outside the venue as well, including protesters along the Parks Highway in Wasilla as well as in town, and Democratic state politicians hosting a news conference nearby.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.
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