President Donald Trump wasted no time making his second term count. Just four days into his return to the White House, he took the global stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and delivered a blistering rebuke to American banks that have spent years discriminating against lawful firearm businesses. And let’s be clear—this isn’t just a recent trend. The Biden-Harris administration doubled down on Obama-era tactics designed to choke off the gun industry from financial services, a practice that’s been running rampant for over a decade.
Calling Out the Anti-Gun Banking Cartel
Trump didn’t mince words when he set his sights on Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan. In front of an international audience, he made it clear that this financial blacklisting of conservatives and gun businesses would no longer be tolerated.
“You and Jamie [JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon] and everybody else, I hope you start opening your banks to conservatives,” Trump told Moynihan directly. “What you’re doing is wrong.”
It was a direct response to a question from Moynihan, but instead of dodging it with the usual political fluff, Trump seized the moment. He called out JP Morgan Chase, whose CEO Dimon famously testified before Congress in 2021, proudly declaring that his bank refused to lend money to manufacturers of Modern Sporting Rifles (MSRs). “We do not finance the manufacture of military-style weapons for civilian use,” Dimon boasted at the time.
Well, guess what? That kind of selective discrimination just got a massive spotlight thrown on it, and under Trump, it won’t be business as usual.
A Pattern of Anti-Gun Discrimination
This financial chokehold isn’t new. The war against gun manufacturers and retailers has been waged for years. Back in 2018, Bank of America announced it would no longer finance companies producing MSRs—what they deliberately mislabel as “military-style rifles.” The reality? These are semi-automatic firearms that function just like the vast majority of handguns and shotguns legally owned by millions of Americans.
But the hostility towards the firearm industry didn’t start there. Under the Obama administration, Operation Choke Point was unleashed—a backdoor, unconstitutional attack designed to pressure banks into cutting off financial services to industries the government didn’t like, including gun dealers. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) played enforcers, making life miserable for businesses that were completely legal but politically inconvenient.
When Trump first took office in 2017, his administration put an end to Operation Choke Point, but the moment Biden was sworn in, the old tricks came right back. One of his first moves? Shutting down the Fair Access rule, which was supposed to prevent banks from discriminating against lawful businesses based on political pressure. That gave financial institutions the green light to once again target gun businesses without fear of consequences.
Texas Fights Back—Will the Rest of the Country Follow?
Banks that thought they could impose their own gun control policies without repercussions got a wake-up call in Texas. When Citigroup implemented an anti-gun policy, effectively forcing firearm retailers to comply with their own made-up regulations, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton shut them down. Citigroup was banned from underwriting most municipal bond offerings in Texas, cutting off billions in potential business. The message was clear: If you discriminate against gun owners and manufacturers, expect consequences.
Now, with Trump back in office, that same energy is going national. The days of banks playing politics with Americans’ constitutional rights are numbered.
The Left’s Predictable Meltdown
Of course, the mainstream media wasted no time in dismissing Trump’s comments. Bloomberg—owned by none other than billionaire anti-gun activist Michael Bloomberg—rushed to label his statements as “an unsubstantiated right-wing conspiracy theory.” Meanwhile, the usual left-wing media outlets rolled out their tired mockery, with shows like Saturday Night Live laughing off “debanking” as a made-up issue.
The firearm industry and gun owners know better. They’ve seen firsthand what happens when financial institutions, backed by government overreach, work together to make life as difficult as possible for businesses that don’t align with their political views.
What’s Next?
With Trump back in charge, the fight against anti-gun financial discrimination is heating up. Several bills are already in motion to put an end to these banking shenanigans once and for all. The Fair Access to Banking Act, introduced in the Senate by Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and in the House by Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.), aims to prevent banks from cutting off legal businesses simply because they don’t like them.
And let’s not forget, on February 5, the Senate Committee on Finance is set to hold a hearing on this exact issue. Expect fireworks as financial CEOs are forced to explain why they think they have the right to determine which constitutional rights Americans are allowed to exercise.
The Bottom Line
For over a decade, banks have been colluding with anti-gun politicians to punish firearm businesses, using financial blacklisting as a tool to bypass legislation and enforce backdoor gun control. But now, the tables have turned. Trump made it clear that under his administration, these practices won’t just be called out—they’ll be stopped.
Gun owners and Second Amendment advocates should take this as a sign of hope. The fight isn’t over, but with Trump back in the White House, the anti-gun banking cartel just got put on notice. It’s time to hold them accountable and ensure that financial institutions serve all Americans—not just the ones they politically agree with.
Buckle up, because the battle for the Second Amendment is far from over—but this time, we’re on offense!
