Suddenly, Donald Trump is a fan of securities regulation — but only when it targets people he dislikes.
For years, the Trump administration has aggressively dismantled financial oversight, gutting protections against fraud and dropping over a dozen crypto scam cases pursued by the SEC. The message has been clear: white-collar crime is fine as long as it’s carried out by Trump allies.
But when it comes to his own financial interests? Different story.
Trump Media, the president’s personal propaganda platform masquerading as a public company, has seen its stock price nosedive ever since an SEC filing proposed allowing Trump’s trust to dump $2 billion in shares. As predictable market forces took hold — including a hedge fund taking a $105 million short position — Trump’s company cried “market manipulation” and demanded the SEC intervene.
Never mind that Trump signed an executive order declaring the SEC answerable to him, effectively neutering its independence. Now he wants the agency to crack down on anyone betting against his failing venture.
Regulations for me, not for thee.
Meanwhile, Trump continues to beg the conservative Supreme Court for legal favors. This week, he’s asking them to gut the 14th Amendment’s birthright citizenship protections — just a little, for now. Multiple courts blocked his unconstitutional executive order, but Trump wants nationwide injunctions scrapped, insisting rulings should only protect individual plaintiffs and certain states.
The implication? A future where constitutional rights vary wildly by state and membership in favored organizations — a legal mess designed to enable discrimination while litigation drags on.
The Supreme Court hears oral arguments on May 15. Expect a circus.
And what about Kilmar Abrego Garcia?
The Trump administration deported him by mistake. A federal judge ordered his return. Trump’s DOJ fought it up to the Supreme Court and lost. Now, it’s stonewalling the lower court’s order, refusing to comply, and appealing to delay the inevitable.
A Reagan-appointed appellate judge called the government’s argument — that it can deport residents to foreign prisons without due process — “shocking.” Rachel Maddow spent five minutes reading his ruling on-air.
At long last, contempt.
A U.S. District Judge recently found probable cause to hold Trump officials in criminal contempt for ignoring a court order to stop deportation flights. The administration’s defiance has forced judges to consider consequences rarely applied to the government.
If they refuse to comply, Trump officials could soon be testifying under oath about their actions — a prospect the White House is desperately trying to avoid.
And then there’s Ed Martin.
Interim D.C. U.S. Attorney Ed Martin spends little time on legitimate prosecutions and a great deal of time targeting perceived political enemies. His latest stunt? Sending a bizarre letter threatening an Illinois-based medical journal, CHEST, over imagined “fraud” for participating in scientific debates. It’s an embarrassing misuse of public office — and a reminder that this administration will reach far outside its authority to intimidate dissent.
Which brings us to JD Vance.
A Yale Law graduate, Vance seems confused about the most basic constitutional protections. In a recent post, the Vice President claimed the administration can’t provide due process because Biden let in too many undocumented people. Worse, he argued that the amount of due process owed depends on government resources and public interest — a statement so constitutionally illiterate it makes you wonder whether he ever attended his Con Law class.
Spoiler: Due process is an unqualified constitutional guarantee, enshrined in both the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. It doesn’t hinge on convenience, budgets, or public opinion.
Vance’s statement isn’t just ignorant — it’s dangerous.
This is where we are: a government actively weaponizing federal agencies, dismantling oversight, defying courts, and rewriting constitutional norms on the fly. The good news is that judges, lawyers, and a vocal public are fighting back.
But the fight is far from over.
