The Trump administration is taking a highly controversial step. Reports suggest it is ranking U.S. corporations based on their loyalty to President Donald Trump, while also rolling back enforcement actions against powerful firms, including Big Tech. Critics warn this creates a loyalty-first business environment where accountability fades, highlighting the Trump White House’s emphasis on corporate loyalty.
What’s Happening & Why This Matters
Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group, revealed that Trump’s campaign claims of legal “weaponisation” now extend to corporate oversight. During the 2024 campaign, Trump argued that prosecutions against him and January 6 rioters reflected unfair use of federal power. Many executives echoed his stance, calling investigations against their companies a form of government “weaponisation.”
On his first day back in office, Trump signed the executive order “Ending Weaponization of the Federal Government.” This order effectively granted the White House sweeping authority over independent enforcement agencies, including the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Federal Trade Commission, and Securities and Exchange Commission. According to Public Citizen, the Department of Justice’s long-standing independence from White House influence was also erased, reinforcing the focus on White House corporate loyalty.
Influence of Loyalty
The impact is clear. If Trump does not want an investigation or lawsuit to proceed, it can be stopped immediately. Agency officials who refuse these orders face removal. Public Citizen documented that at least 23 enforcement cases against cryptocurrency companies and 11 cases against financial technology firms were dropped. Tech giants benefiting from stalled or dismissed cases include Meta, Microsoft, PayPal, Activision, Tesla, SpaceX, Coinbase, and Binance.
The watchdog added that while some probes remain active, major players such as Amazon, Google, Meta, OpenAI, and Musk-led firms like Neuralink, xAI, and The Boring Company now stand to benefit from close ties with the administration, indicating a prioritisation of corporate loyalty by the Trump White House.
Public Citizen issued a sharp critique:
“Corporate executives in the technology sector, eager to curry favor, seized on Trump’s talking point. They cast corporations accused of violating laws that protect consumers, workers, investors, and the public as victims of ‘weaponized’ enforcement.”
The group also published a detailed spreadsheet of pending and dismissed enforcement cases, underscoring the scale of White House intervention.
This approach redines how corporate accountability is handled in the U.S. Loyalty to the president now appears to hold more weight than regulatory compliance. Critics argue this weakens consumer protections and investor confidence. Supporters, however, say it shields companies from what they see as politically driven enforcement.
TF Summary: What’s Next
The Trump administration’s ranking of corporations by loyalty, combined with direct control over agency enforcement, introduces a new era of corporate-government relations. For Big Tech and other industries, staying in Trump’s good graces may prove more valuable than following regulations. For consumers, workers, and investors, watchdogs warn that this raises red flags about unchecked corporate behaviour. In summary, this focus on White House corporate loyalty is set to heighten the tension between accountability and presidential power in the months ahead.
— Text-to-Speech (TTS) provided by gspeech