Speaking by videoconference, an ocean apart, Patrick Pouyanné had a question for Donald Trump, on January 23, at the Davos Forum in Switzerland. Just three days after the US president's inauguration, the CEO of TotalEnergies asked: Even in the event of a price boom on its domestic market, will the United States continue to "guarantee security of supplies" of energy to Europe? Trump's answer, succinctly summed up: Yes.

If the French oil and gas major is banking heavily on the US, where it has been based since 1957, it is now primarily for its liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports, far more than for its local oil or gas production alone (3.3% of its global supply in 2023). On Wednesday, February 5, TotalEnergies announced, at the time of the publication of its annual results, a net profit of almost $15.8 billion in 2024, down 26%.

TotalEnergies already presents itself as the "world's third largest player" in liquefied gas, behind QatarEnergy and the UK's Shell, and as the "leading exporter of US LNG," thanks to the 2018 acquisition of Engie's assets.

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