President Trump late Saturday backed off from his earlier assertion that he had convinced Saudi Arabia to boost its oil production “maybe’’ to its maximum capacity — 2 million barrels a day, according to a report.
that only hours after that Saudi King Salman had “agreed,’’ to his request, the White House said the Saudis will use their spare production capacity “prudently . . . if and when necessary to ensure market balance and stability.’’
The report said upping its production to 2 million barrels a day would inflame the Saudi-Iran rivalry and violate an agreement with OPEC. Trump made the original request because, he said, oil prices are too high.