T. Boone Pickens says he’s committed to electing Donald J. Trump as the next president of the United States.
Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, is far friendlier to the oil and natural gas industry than his likely Democratic foe this fall, Hillary Rodham Clinton. Pickens — a former Amarillo resident — made his immense fortune in oil and natural gas.
It follows, then, that Pickens would be in Trump’s camp.
But there’s been a hiccup. Maybe. Perhaps.
Pickens was going to play host to a meeting at his sprawling Mesa Vista Ranch north of Pampa on June 11-3. The meeting was for a super-PAC supporting Trump. It’s been called off.
Why? Pickens’ spokesman blamed it on “scheduling conflicts,” which often becomes kind of a throwaway excuse for anything that gets postponed, or canceled.
There have been reports, though, of strife and turmoil among the Trump campaign and its fundraising machine, according to the Dallas Morning News.
Which is it? Scheduling and logistics? Or is there trouble in Trump World?
I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Pickens three times — the most recent time just two weeks ago. I don’t know him well. I know a lot more of him, though, having studied him from some distance over nearly 30 years.
A part of me just doesn’t believe he would have announced a big event at his ranch without having nailed down all the particulars he needed to make it a reality.
And that kind of makes me wonder if the issue doesn’t lie within the Trump apparatus.
Pickens’ team says the event will occur later this summer, after the Republican convention.
We’ll just have to wait and see … yes?