Trump’s Secret Corporate Blacklist: Part II

The Billion-Dollar Pressure Campaign No CEO Wants to Admit Exists (Plus a Stress-Buster BONUS)

Trump’s Secret Corporate Blacklist: Part II

The Billion-Dollar Pressure Campaign No CEO Wants to Admit Exists

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #497: Wednesday, August 20th, 2025. 9:45 PM CST

The Political Endgame: A Merged State and Business

Authoritarians don’t want healthy markets. They want obedient markets.

And that’s exactly where Trump’s blacklist points: a system where the lines between state and business blur until there’s no distinction.

• Corporations don’t innovate…they demonstrate loyalty.

• CEOs don’t compete…they compete for proximity.

• Trade groups don’t advocate…they parrot the regime.

This is the real endgame of the loyalty scorecard: a merger of state and business into one machine…not for the benefit of the nation…but for the benefit of one man.

It’s not capitalism. It’s not socialism. It’s the corporate wing of authoritarianism…a bastard child of state coercion and private cowardice.

What It Means for Workers

Let’s cut through the noise.

If you work at a company…this matters more than you think. Because under this system…your paycheck becomes political currency.

• If your employer refuses to kiss the ring…you may lose contracts…market access…or licenses. That hits payroll.

• If your employer caves…they shift resources into propaganda instead of wages… benefits…or innovation. That hits you too.

• If your employer stays “neutral,” they get punished anyway.

Which means your job security is no longer about your performance. It’s about your CEO’s willingness to grovel.

That’s the hidden tax of authoritarian economics. And workers pay it first.

What It Means for Investors

Think your 401(k) is safe? Think again. (Sorry. My commitment has always been to giving it to you straight. If I’m wrong, it’s a pleasant surprise. That works out better than promising peaches and cream…and then watching you be served hog jowls.)

Under Trump’s blacklist model…investment isn’t about fundamentals. It’s about favoritism.

• Companies that play ball get government contracts…subsidies…and sweetheart deals. Their stocks soar…not because they’re efficient…but because they’re obedient.

• Companies that resist get frozen out. Their valuations tank. Not because they’re bad businesses…but because they refused to kneel.

This isn’t free enterprise. It’s extortion disguised as policy. And if you think markets can’t be corrupted like this…look to Moscow…look to Beijing…look to Budapest. Their stock exchanges are littered with the corpses of companies that wouldn’t toe the line.

What It Means for Citizens

This isn’t just about balance sheets. It’s about freedom.

Because when corporations live under fear of the regime…they stop protecting you.

• Media companies stop running independent investigations.

• Tech companies stop pushing back against disinformation.

• Retail brands stop supporting social causes.

• Banks stop refusing dirty money.

The entire private sector…once a source of pluralism and resistance…becomes an echo chamber.

And when that happens…you don’t just lose choice in the marketplace. You lose choice in democracy itself.

The Hidden Genius of the Blacklist

Here’s the sinister brilliance: the blacklist doesn’t even have to be public to work.

The companies know it exists. They know the staffers are circulating it. They know that silence is treated as guilt.

That knowledge alone is enough to discipline them. To make them self-censor. To make them jump before they’re pushed.

It’s psychological warfare applied to commerce. A kind of corporate brainwashing.

And that’s why this is more dangerous than Nixon’s enemies list. Nixon wanted to punish his critics. Trump wants to condition the entire private sector into obedience.

Why Silence Is Complicity

Let’s be blunt: any CEO who claims “we’re just staying out of politics” is lying. Neutrality is no longer possible.

• Staying silent is a choice.

• Staying silent is a signal.

• Staying silent is complicity.

Because in a system where silence equals guilt…you cannot escape the blacklist. You can only submit…or resist.

And if America’s business leaders don’t grow a spine…they’ll find themselves in the same position as Russian oligarchs: fabulously rich…utterly dependent…and permanently muzzled.

The Barn-Burner Close

Let me speak directly now.

This blacklist isn’t a story about corporations. It’s a story about capture.

Capture of the markets. Capture of the jobs. Capture of the voices that shape what you see…hear…and believe.

Trump doesn’t need tanks on the streets to conquer America. He just needs to bend the boardrooms until they break. And he’s already started.

So here’s the choice:

• We can keep pretending this is business as usual.

• Or we can call it what it is: a loyalty racket straight out of Moscow…dressed up in red…white…and blue.

If you’ve ever wondered how free nations slide into authoritarianism…this is it. Not in one blow. Not in one purge. But in spreadsheets and scorecards. In whispers and punishments. In companies too scared to speak.

And if you want to know how to fight it? You don’t start by begging CEOs for courage. You start by demanding sunlight.

Demand to know: who’s on the list? Who bent the knee? Who stayed silent? Who resisted?

Shame the capitulators. Reward the resisters. Force the cowardly into the light.

Because once the market itself becomes a loyalty test…democracy is already halfway in the grave.

And here’s the line Trump never expects you to cross: refusing to stay silent.

If you think this was unsettling…wait until you see the receipts.

In the paid subscriber issue of JHN that I will send out tomorrow morning sometime…I’ll lay out:

• A short list of companies that visibly bent the knee.

• A set of pressure scripts for lawmakers demanding disclosure of Trump’s blacklist.

• And a blueprint for consumer-level resistance…how to boycott smart, not scattershot. Wasting your dollars or aimlessly cutting brands doesn’t move the needle. This shows you where to hit so it hurts.

Because here’s the truth: authoritarianism feeds on silence. And silence is the one thing we cannot afford.

Do you need this paid section to keep resisting? No. You do not.

Are you thinking about becoming a paid subscriber…but haven’t pulled the lever yet? If so…it’ll be your first paid-subscriber article from JHN…and you won’t have to wonder what’s in it. Only you know whether that’s you. If it is…you know what to do.

Now…don’t run off just yet. I have the BONUS section on a stress reduction method you can do in sixty-seconds or less that will create measurable results.

BONUS: The Strange…Science-Backed Power of Humming

Now…I know what you’re thinking. Jack—what in the hell does humming have to do with Trump’s blacklist?

Everything.

Because if you’re living in America right now…under siege from authoritarian drift… corporate cowardice…and nonstop political theater…you’re carrying stress levels that fry your nervous system. And if you burn out…you’re no good to yourself…your family… or the fight.

So here’s your edge. A weird…overlooked…free tool that science has proven can flip the switch from stress and chaos to calm and control in seconds:

Humming.

Yes…humming. The same thing you did as a kid while swinging on a swing set or driving your parents crazy in the backseat. It’s not silly. It’s not woo-woo. It’s neuroscience…physiology…and survival.

Why Humming Works: The Vagus Nerve “On Switch”

Buried inside your body is one of the most powerful control wires of your entire system: the vagus nerve.

It’s the main channel between your brain and your body…the line that regulates your heartbeat…digestion…immune response…even your ability to feel safe around other people.

Think of it like the fuse box of your entire nervous system. When the vagus nerve is firing strong…you feel steady…focused…and calm. When it’s weak or flatlined…you feel anxious…on edge…and primed to snap.

Now…here’s the kicker. Science shows that humming stimulates the vagus nerve directly.

Why? Because the nerve runs right through your throat…your chest…your diaphragm. Vibrations from humming send a signal through the system: calm down…shift gears…get back in control.

A 2018 study in Frontiers in Psychology showed that simple vocal vibrations…including humming and chanting…activate the vagus nerve and increase heart rate variability (HRV)…which is the gold-standard biomarker of resilience.

Higher HRV = stronger nervous system. Lower HRV = stress eating you alive.

Other research shows humming increases nitric oxide production in the nasal passages…which boosts blood flow and oxygenation…giving you an almost instant physiological lift.

Translation: a two-for-one punch of nervous system reset and oxygen boost.

The Immediate Benefits

Here’s what happens when you spend even 2–3 minutes humming:

Stress melts down.

Cortisol levels drop…HRV rises. Your body shifts from “fight or flight” into “rest and repair.”

Focus sharpens.

You clear out mental static. Decisions get easier.

Blood pressure eases.

The vagus nerve helps regulate cardiovascular function. Humming relaxes arterial walls.

Anxiety dials down.

Parasympathetic activation makes the nervous system stop scanning for threats.

Immunity strengthens.

Vagus nerve activation is linked to improved inflammatory control and immune balance.

And the best part? You don’t need an app. You don’t need a device. You don’t need to fork out $399 for some influencer-endorsed “biohack.” You’ve had the tool since birth.

By the way…a lady just a few weeks ago…messaged me to say, “I went to therapy for a year, at $250 every two weeks ($6,000 a year) it helped. It was worth it. However, I find I’m getting at least that much value from your newsletter, for about $150 for the entire year. Don’t stop.”

I assure you…what I’ve just shared with you about humming is worth at least 5X the annual subscription fee. I’ve seen it change people’s lives. Use it.

How to Do It (In the Real World…Not a Yoga Studio)

Forget incense. Forget gurus. This is street-level…use-anywhere resilience training. Here’s the quick-and-dirty:

1. Inhale through your nose. Slow and deep. Fill your belly.

2. Exhale with a hum. Lips closed…chest buzzing…throat vibrating. Doesn’t matter the note. Doesn’t matter the tune. Just hum.

3. Feel the vibration. Pay attention to your chest…face…and head resonating. That’s the vagus nerve lighting up.

4. Repeat for 2–3 minutes. Long enough to flip the switch…short enough to do while driving…showering…or walking the dog.

Want to amplify it? Hum with your hands resting lightly on your chest or the side of your neck. You’ll feel the resonance even more deeply.

The Psychological Edge

This isn’t just stress relief. It’s a weapon.

Because when you’re in control of your state…you can’t be manipulated. Propaganda bounces off you. Fear campaigns fizzle. Manufactured outrage fails to hijack your nervous system.

If I have a “secret” strength…it’s being in control of my emotional state. I can truss myself to ramp things up…because I have confidence based on plenty of past experience to know I can roll it back down…and not let it linger and become my baseline…and keep my stress hormones perpetually elevated.

Trump…Putin…Fox News…they all run on one fuel: keeping people in fight-or-flight. Humming is your way to slam the door on that.

To say: Nope. You don’t get to rent space in my nervous system today.

The Bigger Picture

Here’s what most people miss. Every revolution…every movement…every campaign worth a damn… is carried on the backs of people who didn’t burn out. People who found ways to stay steady in the fire.

Humming is small. It’s simple. But it’s the kind of edge that compounds.

Daily practice builds a nervous system like a shock absorber. And when chaos hits…and it will…you’ll be the one who bends without breaking.

That’s how citizens outlast regimes. That’s how caregivers endure impossible loads. That’s how ordinary people become extraordinary leaders.

Your Takeaway

So the next time the headlines make your blood pressure spike…the next time you’re shaking with rage at another Trump stunt…or the next time you just can’t shut your brain off at night…don’t just sit there. Hum.

Yes…hum. Let the vibrations run through your chest like a tuning fork. Flip the switch on your vagus nerve. Reset your nervous system in minutes.

And…yes…sixty-seconds is enough to totally change your state…but most of the time…you’ll likely do at least two-minutes. After about a week of daily humming…you’ll have a healthy addiction.

You’ll feel the difference instantly. And over time…you’ll build a body and mind that can’t be bullied…hijacked…or broken by the circus.

When I tell you I never worry…and that nothing keeps me up at night…I mean that…literally. I was an anxiety sufferer as a kid. It was horrible. I’m a life-long pursuer of knowledge I can use. I found the tools to transform my life. Then…I did.

Yes…YOU…can do the same thing.

That’s not fluff. That’s science. That’s how you survive.

And I survive…so I can THRIVE. Never have survival as your ultimate end goal. Make survival the “must have,” but make THRIVING the end goal…always. Survival is a stressful state to live from long term.

And that’s why I just gave you one of the simplest…most powerful tools you’ll ever carry into the fight.

One Last Experience…

Okay…that’s it for today. I promise you we’ll rock n’ roll again tomorrow…and prime our hearts and minds with the kind of knowledge…awareness…and skillsets that find us getting stronger every day…as we move forward.

I’ll leave you with this…somewhat hypnotic passage. You don’t have to relax as you read it. You don’t have to read it again…maybe even twice…if you found yourself relaxing the first time. But…you can:

Because as you read these words…in whatever way you choose…your breathing is already doing what breathing does…in…and out…without you having to try.

And perhaps you’ve noticed that sometimes…when your eyes trace along a line of words…the spaces in between…become just as important as the words themselves. Like the pause…between heartbeats. Or the stillness…between thoughts.

And while you sit there…reading and not needing…to do anything else…you may find certain sensations more noticeable…maybe the gentle weight of your body…where it rests…or the way your shoulders let go…just a little more…with every breath.

Some people discover that when they focus on one part of the body…their hand…their jaw…even their eyelids…something loosens…softens…eases. And when one part relaxes…other parts follow naturally.

You don’t have to imagine yourself humming softly right now…but…you could…and if you did…you might notice…that the vibration in your chest…in your throat…in your face…is like a tuning fork…for calmness…sending a signal through the whole system..that says, “It’s safe now…you can let go.” And isn’t it interesting…how the body knows what to do…even without your conscious effort?

So as you continue to read…or as you stop reading…and simply let these words drift… into the background…of your mind…your nervous system has already gotten the message. You’ve given it permission to settle. Permission to rest. Permission to be steady…in the middle…of the storm.

And if you come back to this again tomorrow…or next week…or even years from now… you may discover…that this sense of ease grows…stronger each time. Because the more you allow it…the more your body remembers….and you don’t have to do anything at all…except notice…

Goodnight, my friend…

-Jack