President Donald Trump has maintained his criticism and actions against executives, corporations and institutions, months after taking office. Their unprecedented actions, ranging from groundbreaking export deals to freezing university grants, have disrupted the status quo between U.S. government, law, academia, and business.
Here are some of the influential people and entities that Trump has publicly criticized:
Gunvor CEO steps down
Gunvor CEO Torbjorn Tornqvist will step down and sell all his shares in a management buyout, weeks after the US branded the firm a “Kremlin puppet” due to its past ties to Russia. The company announced Monday that Gary Pedersen, head of the Americas, will take over as CEO. Last month, the U.S. Treasury Department canceled what would have been Gunvor’s largest deal to acquire the international assets of Lukoil, a Russian oil major sanctioned by the U.S. Pedersen’s promotion coincides with Gunvor’s efforts to soften its relations with the U.S., with active talks to invest in oil and gas assets in recent weeks.
Goldman Sachs
The economic research arm of Goldman Sachs published a note in August saying that U.S. consumers absorbed 22% of tariff costs through June, and that share could reach 67% if recent tariffs follow the same pattern as the first ones. “David Solomon and Goldman Sachs refuse to give credit where credit is due,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social shortly afterward. Trump claimed that it was “companies and governments, many of them foreign, who are footing the bill.” He also mocked Solomon for his DJ hobby.
Intel
In early August, Trump demanded the resignation of Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan over his ties to China. Reuters reported in April that Tan had at least $200 million invested in several Chinese advanced manufacturing and semiconductor companies, some of which were linked to the Chinese military. “The CEO of INTEL is highly CONFLICTED and must resign immediately. There is no other solution to this problem,” Trump said on Truth Social. Tan responded, saying he shared the president’s commitment to US national and economic security.
Microsoft
Trump said in September that the tech giant should fire its president of global affairs, Lisa Monaco, who served under past administrations of Democratic presidents. “She is a threat to US national security, especially given the significant contracts Microsoft has with the US government,” Trump said on Truth Social. “My opinion is that Microsoft should immediately fire Lisa Monaco.” Monaco, who started at Microsoft in July, had been a security adviser in the Obama administration and deputy attorney general in the Biden administration.
Tesla
Billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk spent hundreds of millions of dollars supporting Trump’s re-election, a move that investors hoped would benefit Musk’s empire. However, Trump and Musk drifted apart in June after Musk criticized Trump’s sweeping tax and spending cut project as it was projected to increase the federal debt. In response, Trump threatened to cut federal subsidies and contracts to Musk’s companies, saying the billionaire “just went crazy” after losing the electric vehicle mandate in the law.
Jaguar Land Rover
Trump criticized Jaguar’s rebranding effort in August, calling the campaign “woke” and “stupid,” and linking it to the departure of its CEO. Trump’s comments came as the British manufacturer, owned by India’s Tata Motors, announced the retirement of Adrian Mardell, who spent more than three decades with the company. Last year, Jaguar unveiled a new logo and visual identity as part of a repositioning toward electric cars, prompting strong backlash online from the brand’s fans.
Apple
Trump has repeatedly attacked Apple and its CEO, Tim Cook, for manufacturing iPhones sold in the US outside the country and has threatened to impose specific tariffs on the company. In May, Trump recalled a meeting in Doha, the capital of Qatar, where he confronted Cook about the company’s plan to make the majority of its iPhones sold in the U.S. in Indian factories by 2026. In August, Trump announced that Apple would invest an additional $100 billion in the U.S., bringing its total commitment to $600 billion over the next four years.
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Amazon
Trump called former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in April to complain about a news report that said the company planned to display tariff-impacted prices on products sold on Amazon.com. However, Amazon said it only briefly considered the idea of showing import charges for some products, but abandoned the plan after the White House accused the company of a “hostile political act.” Trump then praised Bezos for solving the problem “very quickly.”
Bank od America y JPMorgan Chase
Trump alleged in August that BofA CEO Brian Moynihan and JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon discriminated against him and his supporters. He said they did not provide banking services to Conservatives. “What they are doing is wrong,” Trump said in a video conference at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Both banks have denied the accusations of “debanking” on several occasions.
Walmart
Trump said in May that Walmart and China should “assume the tariffs” and not burden American shoppers, after CEO Doug McMillon said the retailer would not be able to absorb all costs related to the tariffs due to reduced retail margins. “Walmart should STOP trying to blame tariffs as the reason for price increases,” Trump said in a social media post.
Cracker Barrel
The brief modification of the restaurant chain’s logo, eliminating the traditional image of “Uncle Herschel”, generated an unexpected response. Cracker Barrel announced in August that it would keep its original logo after negative reaction on social media, including criticism from Trump. “Congratulations to ‘Cracker Barrel’ for changing their logo back to what it was. All of their fans really appreciate it,” Trump said on Truth Social after the reversal.
Comcast
Trump criticized Comcast and his MSNBC news network for their coverage of his administration’s government. He told reporters: “They are changing the name because they are ashamed of it, and they are disassociating themselves from NBC.” He also called Comcast “a weak and ineffective owner…led by Brian Roberts.”
Instituto Smithsonian
The White House has said it will conduct an internal review of some Smithsonian museums and exhibits ahead of the 250th anniversary of the US Declaration of Independence. In a March executive order, Trump said the institution had fallen under the influence of a “divisive ideology centered on race” in recent years.
Harvard University
Trump canceled some $2.5 billion in federal grants to the nation’s oldest and richest university and sought to cut research funding at Harvard as part of a broader campaign to force change at U.S. universities, which Trump sees as dominated by “radical left” and anti-Semitic ideologies.
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Columbia University
In March, the Trump administration said it was penalizing Columbia University for its handling of last year’s protests, canceling $400 million in federal funding. Trump also criticized the university for pro-terrorist and anti-American activities by its students.
Law firms
Trump attacked law firm Perkins Coie in March with an executive order that suspended security clearances for its employees and restricted their access to federal buildings because of its ties to Hillary Clinton and DEI policies. It also targeted the firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, but withdrew the order after reaching an agreement.
The New York Times y Penguin Random House
Trump filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against The New York Times and publisher Penguin Random House in September as part of a legal attack on major media outlets he accuses of treating him unfairly.
The Wall Street Journal
Trump sued the Wall Street Journal and its owners, including Rupert Murdoch, in July for at least $10 billion over a report that his name appeared in a 2003 birthday greeting to Jeffrey Epstein.
With information from Reuters
