Trump's Conflict with CEOs and Educational Institutions: Who's under Scrutiny?
In the first half of 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump has been vocal in his criticisms and targets, focusing on various figures and entities. Here are some key examples:
Election officials and nonprofit organizations involved in administering and protecting the 2020 election have been threatened with prosecution by Trump, who accuses them of rigging the election and criminal conspiracy. This includes Chris Krebs, former head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), whom Trump directed the Department of Justice (DOJ) to review for denying election fraud claims.
Trump has also targeted political opponents and civil society figures, such as James Comey, BeyoncΓ©, Oprah Winfrey, Bruce Springsteen, and Chris Krebs. The Trump administration has used the DOJ to investigate and stigmatize these opponents, often publicly naming them without sufficient evidence to prosecute.
The President has also gone after President Joe Biden, ordering an investigation into his mental impairment and questionable executive actions, despite lacking evidence.
Trump's opposition to the wind power industry and related projects continues, with him vocally criticizing wind farms and bureaucratic support for renewable energy.
The expanded travel ban, which targets 19 countries, reflects Trump's criticism of those countries' immigration and visa policies.
Trump has also targeted nonprofit advocacy groups focused on voter engagement and election monitoring for their roles in protecting voting rights and election integrity.
In addition, Trump has criticized several businesses and individuals:
- He accused Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan and JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon of discriminating against him and his supporters during a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
- Adrian Mardell, former CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, has retired, and Trump criticized Jaguar's rebranding effort and linked it to Mardell's departure.
- Trump criticized Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon for the bank's prediction that tariffs would hurt the U.S. economy.
- Trump threatened to cut federal subsidies and contracts to Elon Musk's companies after their disagreement.
- Trump said Walmart and China should "eat the tariffs" and not burden American shoppers, after Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said the retailer could not absorb all tariff-related costs because of narrow retail margins.
- The White House announced it will lead an internal review of some Smithsonian museums and exhibitions ahead of the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
- Trump targeted law firms Perkins Coie, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, and Covington & Burling with executive orders that suspended security clearances and restricted access to federal buildings over their ties to Hillary Clinton and DEI policies.
- Trump threatened to revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status over campus protests.
- Trump has demanded Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan step down due to China ties.
These examples show Trumpβs focus on electoral officials and processes, political rivals, sectors like renewable energy he opposes, and foreign governments linked to immigration issues as key targets of his public criticism in 2025. The campaign against political opponents has involved extensive use of the DOJ in a way that breaks with previous norms of independence, further amplifying public confrontations.
