Category: Unpresidential

Trump Sues Dimon $5B After CEO Opposes Credit Card Rate Cap

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon faced immediate retaliation after publicly opposing Trump’s proposal to cap credit card interest rates at 10%, which would slash rates roughly in half from their current average of 20%. On January 22, 2026, Trump filed a $5 billion lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase and Dimon in Florida state court, alleging the bank improperly “debanked” him following the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack. The lawsuit arrived one day after Dimon told attendees at the World Economic Forum in Davos that Trump’s affordability proposal would trigger “an economic disaster.”

Trump’s lawsuit exemplifies his use of federal power to punish corporate executives who contradict him. The president has investigated, sued, or brought criminal charges against perceived enemies including media companies CBS, the New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal. Trump threatened Apple with massive tariffs over CEO Tim Cook and blocked Exxon from entering Venezuela because he disapproved of CEO Darren Woods’ demeanor at a meeting. The filing demonstrates Trump weaponizing litigation as retaliation for speech that contradicts his agenda.

Corporate America has largely remained silent under Trump’s second term, with executives adopting an unofficial strategy of compliance to avoid becoming targets. When Trump imposed steep global tariffs last spring and began explicitly meddling in private company revenues—carving out government cuts from firms like Nvidia and Intel—business leaders stayed quiet. Trade groups drafted plans to oppose the administration but shelved them after worrying about inviting White House retaliation, according to CNN sources. Normally vocal business lobbies have been notably quiet, revealing how thoroughly Trump has chilled legitimate corporate speech.

Dimon and other Wall Street leaders broke ranks over the credit card rate proposal because it struck directly at banking’s profit engine. Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser stated the bank could not support a rate cap, and Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan argued it would restrict credit availability. However, Dimon’s “economic disaster” comment—coming from Wall Street’s most prominent figure—represented the rare direct critique that prompted Trump’s swift legal action. Trump subsequently attacked Dimon publicly, falsely suggesting he profits from higher interest rates before announcing the lawsuit.

The pattern reveals authoritarian governance by retaliation: Trump uses his control over federal agencies and courts to punish dissent from business leaders whose compliance he demands. Dimon has not endorsed Trump, contradicting Trump’s false claims, yet the CEO still faced legal assault for opposing a specific policy. This abuse of executive power to settle personal grievances and enforce political loyalty demonstrates corruption at the core of Trump’s administration, where government becomes an instrument for silencing opposition and enriching those in the president’s favor.

(Source: https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/23/business/jamie-dimon-donald-trump)

Trump Attacks Powell, Demands Fed Rate Cuts

President Donald Trump attacked Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Thursday via Truth Social, demanding the central bank cut interest rates immediately and claiming Powell is "hurting our country and its national security." Trump called Powell a "moron" responsible for "costing America Hundreds of Billions of Dollars a year" in interest expenses, despite the Federal Open Market Committee voting 10-2 to hold rates steady after three consecutive months of reductions.

Trump falsely linked the Fed's interest rate decision to his tariff policies, claiming that revenue from tariffs should result in the lowest interest rates globally. He did not explain the relationship between import taxes and the Fed's overnight interbank lending rate, nor did he acknowledge that tariffs are paid by American consumers rather than foreign countries.

Only two Trump appointees to the Federal Reserve's board—Christopher Waller and Stephen Miran—supported further rate cuts aligned with Trump's demand. The broader committee cited solid economic expansion and elevated inflation as reasons to maintain current rates, noting that future adjustments would depend on economic data and outlook rather than presidential pressure.

Trump's attack followed a Department of Justice criminal investigation into Powell and the Federal Reserve, which Powell publicly characterized as retaliation for the bank's refusal to artificially lower rates. Powell stated the investigation represents "a consequence of the Federal Reserve setting interest rates based on our best assessment of what will serve the public, rather than following the preferences of the President."

The DOJ probe drew bipartisan congressional criticism, including from Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who vowed to block any future Trump nominees to the Fed board until the investigation concludes. Trump has previously threatened to sue Powell over Federal Reserve building renovations, continuing his pattern of weaponizing federal authority against officials who resist his economic demands.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-jerome-powell-interest-rates-reaction-b2910171.html)

Trump Officials Meet Alberta Separatist Group Seeking $500B

Officials from the Trump administration held three secret meetings in Washington since April with leaders of the Alberta Prosperity Project, a far-right Canadian separatist organization seeking independence for Alberta. The group claims to have met with “very, very senior” U.S. government officials and plans to request a $500 billion credit facility, according to reporting on these clandestine encounters.

Both the White House and State Department have publicly denied making any commitments or pledges to the separatist group. A spokesperson stated explicitly that no support or other assurances were conveyed during any interactions, contradicting the Alberta Prosperity Project’s claims about the scope and substance of the meetings.

These meetings occurred amid escalating U.S.-Canada tensions, including remarks by a Treasury Secretary about Alberta’s independence and threats regarding tariffs and Canadian sovereignty. The timing demonstrates the Trump administration’s willingness to entertain conversations with fringe separatist movements while maintaining official denials of substantive engagement.

Public opposition to Alberta separation remains strong within the province itself, with an Alberta government spokesperson noting most residents oppose independence. A counter-petition against separation collected significantly more signatures than those supporting the separatist cause, undercutting the group’s claim to represent popular sentiment.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/alberta-canada-separatist-group-trump-officials-b2910271.html)

Trump Dismisses Dollar Decline as Great, Undermines Treasury

President Donald Trump dismissed concerns about the U.S. dollar’s sharp decline to its lowest level since early 2022, stating on January 27 that he believed the currency was “doing great.” Trump’s dismissal contradicts warnings from economic officials and markets about the dollar’s weakness and its potential negative effects on the American economy.

Treasury Secretary Bessent has advocated for a strong dollar as a cornerstone of U.S. economic policy, but Trump’s public comfort with currency depreciation undermines this official position. Trump’s statement to reporters in Iowa suggested he prioritized short-term trade advantages over the broader economic implications of a weakening dollar for inflation, savings, and purchasing power.

A weaker dollar historically increases import costs, contributes to inflation, and erodes the purchasing power of American consumers and savers. Economists have warned that sustained dollar weakness driven by unpredictable policymaking damages business confidence and complicates Federal Reserve efforts to manage price stability.

Trump’s inconsistent approach to currency policy reflects his pattern of dismissing expert guidance on economic matters. His public comments directly contradicted the Treasury’s official messaging, creating confusion in financial markets about the administration’s actual economic priorities and strategy.

(Source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-01-27/trump-says-he-s-not-concerned-with-decline-of-us-dollar?embedded-checkout=true)

Trump Deploys Massive Armada to Iran Threatening Military Escalation

President Trump announced on Truth Social Wednesday that a “massive Armada” is en route to Iran, demanding the regime negotiate and threatening escalated military strikes. Trump stated the fleet is “moving quickly, with great power, enthusiasm, and purpose,” and explicitly warned that “the next attack will be far worse” if Iran does not comply with his demand for a nuclear weapons-free agreement.

Trump referenced a prior military operation against Iran called “Operation Midnight Hammer,” describing it as “a major destruction of Iran,” and framed the current deployment as leverage to force Iranian leadership to “Come to the Table” and accept his terms. He invoked artificial urgency, declaring “Time is running out, it is truly of the essence,” while using characteristic ultimatums demanding Iran “MAKE A DEAL!”

The military escalation coincides with ongoing civil unrest in Iran, where reports document thousands of deaths during protests. Trump previously threatened military intervention to support demonstrators, then reversed course by claiming “the killing in Iran is stopping” and signaling openness to negotiation with Iranian rulers—a pattern demonstrating his willingness to weaponize humanitarian crises for geopolitical leverage.

Trump made similar threats to reporters aboard Air Force One returning from Davos last week, stating “We’re watching Iran” and confirming that ships were being repositioned “just in case.” These repeated warnings escalate tensions through military posturing while Trump simultaneously presents himself as open to diplomatic resolution, a contradiction characteristic of his pattern of weaponizing foreign relations for domestic political effect.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trump-reveals-hes-sending-massive-armada-to-iran-warns-regime-next-attack-will-be-far-worse/)

Trump Threatens 100% Canada Tariffs Over China Trade Deal

President Trump threatened Canada with 100 percent tariffs on all goods if Prime Minister Mark Carney proceeds with a strategic partnership deal with China. Trump wrote on Truth Social that Canada would become a “Drop Off Port” for Chinese products entering the U.S. market, claiming China would “eat Canada alive” and destroy its economy if such an agreement moved forward. Trump’s threat directly contradicted his earlier public statement that Carney “should be doing” and that a trade deal would be “a good thing for him to sign.”

Carney announced the China partnership earlier this month, which includes plans for China to lower canola tariffs to 15 percent by March 1, while Canada permits 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into its market. The agreement emerged following Carney’s first visit to China by a Canadian prime minister in nearly a decade and focuses on expanding trade in agriculture, energy, and finance between the two nations.

Trump’s tariff threat followed Carney’s speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where the prime minister warned of “an era of great power rivalry” and declared that the U.S.-led global order was finished and “not coming back.” Without naming Trump directly, Carney’s remarks functioned as a direct rebuke of the president’s tariff regime, his previous demands to annex Canada as the 51st state, and his efforts to acquire Greenland.

Days after Carney’s speech, Trump retaliated by disinviting Canada from his newly established “Board of Peace,” which he described as “the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled.” Trump wrote on Truth Social that the board was “withdrawing its invitation” to Canada, contradicting earlier reports that Carney had planned to accept membership in the organization, which Trump positioned as central to addressing Gaza.

Trump’s escalating threats demonstrate his use of tariffs and exclusion as political weapons against allies who pursue independent diplomatic initiatives. The confrontation underscores Trump’s demand for absolute deference from neighboring nations and his willingness to weaponize trade policy against countries that resist his territorial and geopolitical ambitions.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-tariffs-china-canada-carney-deal-b2906976.html)

FBI Agent Resigns as DOJ Blocks Renee Good Shooting Probe

FBI supervisor Tracee Mergen resigned from the Minneapolis field office after Washington leadership pressured her to abandon a civil rights investigation into ICE officer Jonathan Ross, who fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good on January 7. Such inquiries are standard procedure following officer-involved shootings. The Trump administration weaponized the Justice Department by instead investigating Good and her partner for alleged ties to left-wing protest groups, prompting at least six senior prosecutors in the Minneapolis U.S. attorney’s office to resign in protest.

Senior Justice Department officials have stated there are no plans to investigate whether Ross used excessive force when he fired multiple shots at the unarmed mother sitting in her vehicle. Federal investigators refused to cooperate with state and local Minnesota prosecutors seeking to open their own inquiry into the shooting. The New York Times video analysis found no evidence supporting Trump administration officials’ claims that Good attempted to ram Ross with her Honda Pilot, yet they publicly labeled her a “domestic terrorist.”

The Justice Department simultaneously opened investigations into Minnesota Democratic elected officials, including Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, scrutinizing whether they conspired to obstruct Trump’s immigration enforcement through public statements. Subpoenas were issued this week to their offices and St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her’s office as part of this effort.

The department prosecuted three protesters—Nekima Levy-Armstrong, Chauntyll Louisa Allen, and William Kelly—charging them with conspiracy for interrupting a church service to protest a pastor’s apparent ICE work, alleging they “intimidated, harassed, oppressed and terrorized the parishioners.” Federal judges denied prosecutors’ requests to detain the three while awaiting trial.

These actions reflect a coordinated strategy by the Trump administration’s Justice Department to shield federal immigration enforcement from oversight, punish Democratic critics of ICE operations, and criminalize protest activity opposing deportation policies, while Trump falsely claimed protesters were paid agitators.

(Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/23/us/fbi-agent-ice-shooting-renee-good.html)

Trump Confirms Secret Sonic Weapon Used in Maduro Abduction

President Donald Trump confirmed the U.S. military deployed a secret sonic weapon during the January 3 abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, claiming “nobody else has it.” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had previously alleged the device caused Venezuelan soldiers to bleed from the nose and vomit blood, with eyewitness accounts describing incapacitating effects including severe head pain and loss of motor control. Trump stated during a NewsNation interview that Americans should be “concerned” about the weapon’s power but refused to disclose operational details.

Sonic weapons use intense sound waves to debilitate targets through focused beams or high-frequency emissions, potentially causing headaches, balance disorders, confusion, and permanent hearing damage. According to witness statements cited by Leavitt, the weapon’s effects were severe enough to render soldiers unable to stand or move, with multiple personnel experiencing internal bleeding. Venezuela’s Interior Ministry reported at least 100 deaths in the compound raid, though the extent of casualties directly attributable to the sonic device remains unclear.

Russia has demanded further disclosure about the weapon, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stating Moscow has tasked special services with obtaining additional information about Trump’s statements. Trump’s annexation ambitions toward Venezuela complicate the geopolitical context of the military operation. The raid followed Trump’s unsubstantiated allegations that Maduro was exporting prisoners and fentanyl to the United States.

Legal scholars have challenged the operation’s lawfulness. Notre Dame Law School professor Jimmy Gurule, a former assistant U.S. attorney, characterized Trump’s capture of Maduro as “clearly a blatant, illegal and criminal act.” While sonic weaponry itself is not prohibited under international law, the seizure of a foreign head of state without international authorization or due process violates established legal principles governing state sovereignty.

Trump has since revealed plans to access Venezuela’s oil reserves, stating the country “is going to be very successful, and the people of the United States are going to be big beneficiaries.” He posted on Truth Social that major oil companies plan to invest “at least 100 billion dollars” in Venezuela following the raid, indicating resource extraction objectives underlay the military operation beyond stated drug-trafficking and national security justifications.

(Source: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/trump-claims-secret-sonic-weapon-093315847.html)

Patel Purges FBI Agents Tied to Trump Criminal Investigations

FBI Director Kash Patel has orchestrated a systematic removal of senior agents from the bureau’s field offices, targeting officials directly involved in investigations of Donald Trump. The special agents in charge in Atlanta and New Orleans were ousted, along with the acting assistant director of the New York field office, while approximately six agents in Miami were forced out for their role in the Mar-a-Lago search that recovered classified documents stored at Trump’s Florida resort. Additional agents were removed for involvement in the Arctic Frost investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election.

The scale of these removals is unprecedented in FBI history, an agency traditionally staffed by non-political civil servants operating as an independent law enforcement body. Patel and his staff informed conservative media outlets they are committed to purging anyone involved in authorizing payments to confidential sources who identified January 6 insurrectionists, making clear the political targeting of personnel based on their prior investigative work.

The timing of these firings coincided with former special counsel Jack Smith’s Capitol Hill testimony defending his prosecution decisions in both the classified documents case and the election interference investigation. Smith testified that his investigative approach was legally sound, but Republican lawmakers attacked him for alleged bias while Trump demanded Attorney General Pam Bondi investigate Smith during the hearing itself.

The FBI Agents Association has stated that firing agents without evidence of misconduct or proper legal cause violates proper procedure, yet Patel has proceeded without restriction. Prior to these removals, Patel fired a dozen agents for kneeling during a racial justice protest following George Floyd’s death, demonstrating a pattern of personnel decisions based on political alignment rather than professional standards.

The Trump Justice Department had already removed most senior FBI leadership in Washington before Patel took office, establishing the institutional groundwork for this continued dismantling. Some terminated agents, including former acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll, are pursuing legal action against Patel, challenging the legality of dismissals conducted without documented cause.

(Source: https://www.ms.now/news/kash-patel-fbi-senior-agents-ousted-trump-jan-6-mar-a-lago)

Trump Demands Jack Smith Prosecution After Election Conspiracy Testimony

President Donald Trump demanded prosecution of former special counsel Jack Smith on Truth Social following Smith’s House Judiciary Committee testimony on Thursday, labeling him “Deranged” and accusing him of perjury and destroying lives. Smith had testified that he possessed evidence “beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump conspired to overturn the 2020 election, investigating both the January 6 Capitol riot and classified documents stored at Mar-a-Lago.

During his public testimony, Smith stated he anticipated the Trump Department of Justice would attempt to indict him, characterizing Trump’s social media attacks as intimidation tactics and warnings to others who challenge the president. Smith declared he would not be intimidated and affirmed his team followed department policy, facts, and law in their investigation, which produced proof of serious crimes.

Attorney General Pam Bondi has already acted on Trump’s prior social media suggestions to prosecute perceived enemies, initiating charges against New York Attorney General Letitia James, former FBI Director James Comey, and former National Security Advisor John Bolton. Trump continues to falsely claim the 2020 election was rigged, repeating this assertion at the World Economic Forum in Davos this week while predicting prosecutions of unspecified individuals responsible for the alleged fraud.

Smith’s testimony directly contradicted Trump’s assertions, with the former prosecutor explaining that his investigation followed established legal procedures and produced substantial evidence of criminal conduct. Trump’s demand for Smith’s prosecution exemplifies his pattern of weaponizing the Justice Department against adversaries and leveraging federal power to silence critics and investigators.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/deranged-jack-smith-should-be-prosecuted-trump-calls-for-special-counsels-indictment-in-angry-truth-social-post/)

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