Trump’s Secret Corporate Blacklist: Part I

A secret loyalty test for corporate America...straight out of Putin’s playbook.

Trump’s Secret Corporate Blacklist: Part I

A secret loyalty test for corporate America…straight out of Putin’s playbook.

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #496: Wednesday, August 20th, 2025.

What Nixon Only Dreamed Of

Richard Nixon had his “enemies list.” He fantasized about punishing companies and journalists who crossed him.

He wanted levers of power not just over politics…but over the very oxygen of American life: business.

But Nixon never pulled it off.

Donald Trump has.

According to insiders like Miles Taylor….Trump’s White House built a secret “loyalty scorecard”…a corporate blacklist that ranks more than 553 companies and trade groups on a single axis: obedience to Trump.

Not productivity. Not innovation. Not patriotism.
Obedience.

Endorse him…you get access. Stay quiet…you get iced out. Push back…you get punished.

This is how authoritarianism works…not just in Moscow or Beijing, but now in Washington.

And if you think this doesn’t affect you…think again. This isn’t about faceless corporations in glass towers. This is about your job. Your retirement account. Your community. Because when corporations bend to a dictator’s loyalty test, ordinary citizens pay the bill.

How the Scorecard Worked

Let’s strip it bare.

The “loyalty scorecard” wasn’t a metaphor. It was a literal internal document. A spreadsheet circulated among senior Trump staff, rating corporations on how faithfully they bent the knee.

How did a company get ranked? Three criteria:

Public Endorsements.

Did the CEO tweet support for Trump’s legislative packages? Did the company issue a press release cheering “One Big Beautiful Bill”?

Paid Propaganda.

Did they put money into ads…commercials…or slick video testimonials praising Trump’s agenda?

Participation in White House Spectacle.

Did executives show up for staged “economic forums” and smile on camera behind the Resolute Desk?

Every “yes” moved a company higher. Every “no” sank it. And silence? Silence was treated as betrayal.

That scorecard was then used as a “reality check” whenever those same companies came knocking for meetings…favors…or policy breaks.

Translation: if you weren’t loyal…you weren’t heard.

That’s not capitalism. That’s coercion.

The Architecture of Authoritarianism

If this feels unfamiliar…that’s only because Americans aren’t used to seeing it with the lights on. But the architecture is global…and Trump is simply importing it.

In Russia…

oligarchs are only allowed to keep their empires if they show fealty to Putin. Businesses that step out of line are nationalized…raided…or destroyed. Wealth is conditional on loyalty.

In China…

Xi Jinping’s “social credit system” extends into the corporate world: companies get ranked on compliance with party objectives. Those that align get subsidies…contracts…and favorable treatment. Those that don’t are starved.

In Hungary…

Viktor Orbán has spent the last decade weaving business elites into his party machine, stripping contracts and licenses from companies that don’t kneel.

And now in America…

Trump has planted the same seed: a corporate loyalty index. A blacklist.

Understand this: authoritarians don’t just conquer politics. They conquer commerce. Because if you control business…you control jobs…pensions…healthcare…media advertising…campaign financing…everything downstream.

This “scorecard” isn’t a quirky stunt. It’s a foundational weapon in the quiet coup.

The End of Neutrality

Here’s the part that every CEO…every investor…every employee in this country…should be aware of: under Trump’s system…neutrality is impossible.

Silence isn’t safe. Silence is guilt.

If your company didn’t tweet support…if your CEO didn’t show up for the circus…if your brand didn’t bankroll the ad campaign…you got downgraded.

That is how dictatorships function: not by forcing everyone to scream “yes” at once… but by making neutrality lethal.

Which means every business in America is forced into a corner:

• Either you play ball and betray your independence.

• Or you resist and risk annihilation.

That’s not free enterprise. That’s extortion at a national scale.

Why This Matters to You

You might be thinking: “Okay, so corporations had to kiss the ring. How does that hit me?”

Simple.

• Your job is on the line. If your employer is blacklisted…they lose access…contracts…or favorable treatment. That affects payroll.

• Your retirement is on the line. Your 401(k) is tied up in companies that may suddenly lose government contracts because they refused to bend.

• Your voice is on the line. When corporations are coerced into obedience…they stop funding independent media…stop speaking up for social issues…stop protecting workers. They become instruments of propaganda.

This isn’t a political parlor game. It’s the creeping normalization of authoritarian economics.

A Playbook Borrowed From the Strongmen

Let’s not mince words. This isn’t “America First.” This is Russia First. China First. Hungary First.

Because the blueprint is identical:

• First…you create the loyalty test.

• Second…you enforce it through access and punishment.

• Third…you expand it until the entire private sector functions as an arm of the state.

Trump’s blacklist was the test run. The pilot program. The proof of concept that business can be tamed just like courts…media…and elections.

And here’s the kicker: it worked.

Hundreds of companies complied. Not because they believed in the policy. Not because they loved Trump. But because they feared the cost of disobedience.

That fear is the goal. Fear creates silence. Silence creates compliance. Compliance creates capture.

Where This Leads

If you let this seed grow…it doesn’t stop with one spreadsheet. It metastasizes into the default operating system.

• Lobbyists will stop lobbying for ideas. They’ll lobby for survival.

• CEOs will stop managing companies. They’ll manage loyalty.

• Workers will stop competing for promotions. They’ll compete to show allegiance.

That’s not America. That’s not democracy. That’s the corporate wing of authoritarian rule.

And unless it’s ripped out by the roots…it becomes permanent.

I’ll be back later in the afternoon with Part II

Later today, I’ll be back with Part II of this issue of JHN…and I’m going to end it with something you can do in sixty seconds or less. One simple move that will slash stress and tension, lower blood pressure, dump cortisol out of your system, and help you sleep like a baby.

Do it 2–3 times a day…seven days a week…and the change will flat-out boggle your mind. The best part? You don’t have to “make time” for it…you can do it while you’re doing almost anything else.

And before I sign off…yes…you may think I’ve lost my damn mind…I’ve got to tell you this: I wake up every morning motivated…fired up…and honestly grateful that I was born in this moment. Because I believe I’m here…right now…to fight through this hair-raising, high-stakes showdown of good vs. evil.

Is that true? Doubtful. Lie everyone else on earth…I was simply born. No DNA or spiritually infused specialness about my purpose.

Does it matter if it’s really true? No. It does not.

The thing that matters is whether I embrace that idea as if it were true…because when I do…I get more out of myself…and contribute more to the world around me than I would if I didn’t believe it.

That’s what matters the most…in terms of my attitude…energy…and output. There might be a suggestion buried in there…somewhere.

Oh. This…

Lately…on social media I’ve been more black-and-white…hard-edged…and absolutely unapologetic in my responses to the clowns on social media who try to negate or undermine the facts of what’s happening…right now…in real time…under Donald Trump.

That’s not by accident. It’s by design.

At this moment in history…I’m not on social media to create some cozy 90’s coffee lounge where everybody can sink into beanbags…sip lattes…and drift off into complacency.

That’s not what this moment demands. We are in crunch time.

I want people in denial to get one of two things: jolted awake by blunt truth…or frustrated enough to leave and peddle their denial somewhere else.

Because the “Don’t worry, it’ll all work out” crowd and the “It’s over, we’re finished” doomers are equally toxic. Both pollute minds. Both poison emotions. Both weaken the fight for our freedom and democracy.

So if you see me being an “ass” on social media, understand this: it’s not impulsive. It’s methodical. It’s intentional.

It keeps the water clear for those who are serious about fighting authoritarian takeover…without letting some yo-yo stomp in and churn a clear lake into a muddy pond of confusion.

Regarding nonsense…this is not the season for politeness. This is the season for precision.

Okay…I’m out of coffee…need another fill-up…and since I’m at home…the server is…yep…me. So…

I’ll be back later today…and I promise…Part II will end with something you’ll be compelled to use tonight…I promise. Once you have…you’ll be glad you did.

Talk soon,

-Jack

P.S. Miles Taylor is a former Department of Homeland Security chief of staff under Donald Trump. He later revealed himself as the anonymous author of the 2018 New York Times op-ed…“I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration,” and has since become a vocal critic of Trump’s authoritarianism.

He’s also a fabulous writer, and has a newsletter on Substack called…”Treason: with Miles Taylor.” I’m grateful for his significant contributions to the United States of America and his courage to speak out.