President Trump thrust Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) into the spotlight on Wednesday, crediting him with securing a $54 billion natural gas export project in Alaska that forms part of a broader $200 billion investment commitment from South Korea.
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump praised Sullivan as a “great” senator and said he had been working on the deal and others in Alaska for nearly two decades. “I want to thank, in particular, Dan Sullivan for getting this deal done,” Trump said, adding that the project’s scale made it a “big” undertaking.
The Alaska LNG project is one component of a sweeping South Korean investment package that also includes eight nuclear power plants and a 6-gigawatt power generation facility in Texas. The deal, which Trump has touted as a major economic win, was unveiled earlier as a $200 billion energy partnership.
Sullivan, for his part, said he had worked “relentlessly” to advance the Alaska project, a sentiment Trump echoed in his remarks.
But Trump also used the event to settle a score in Alaska’s chaotic Senate race, where two Republicans named Dan Sullivan are on the ballot. The incumbent, Sen. Dan S. Sullivan, is facing a challenge from Dan J. Sullivan, a candidate whom Trump dismissed as a “fake Sullivan” and a “fraud.”
“For five decades, politicians have talked about the Alaska pipeline. I’ve been hearing about it from the time I’m a little boy,” Trump said. “I was always fascinated by it, but today, with the help of Senator Dan S. Sullivan, and don’t get it confused with anybody else. Remember, they put up a fake. It’s a fake Sullivan — guy knows nothing.”
Trump accused Democrats of placing Dan J. Sullivan on the ballot to confuse voters, even though he is running as a Republican. The two Sullivans are competing against Rep. Mary Peltola (D) in November. Some Alaska Republicans have tried unsuccessfully to disqualify Dan J. Sullivan’s campaign, and he has acknowledged voting for Democrats in the past while denying allegations that he is a Democratic plant.
Trump expressed surprise that the courts allowed Dan J. Sullivan to remain on the ballot, calling the situation “very fraudulent.” He urged voters to support the incumbent: “So, vote for the guy with the S.”
The event underscored Trump’s willingness to intervene in down-ballot primaries and his focus on energy dominance as a central theme of his economic agenda. The Alaska LNG project, if completed, would mark a significant expansion of U.S. natural gas exports and deepen energy ties with South Korea. The broader investment package also aligns with a bipartisan push in Congress to streamline energy project approvals and address data center power costs.
As Trump continues to highlight his administration’s energy deals, the Alaska race remains a test of his influence over Republican voters and his ability to shape the party’s direction in a state where energy policy is a top concern.
