Trump has once again stirred the pot by threatening to sue George Soros, the 95-year-old billionaire financier and lifelong Democratic mega-donor, as well as his son Alexander. Trump claims—without any solid proof—that the Soroses are behind violent protests sweeping across America, using the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) as his weapon of choice. Sound familiar? Critics are quick to label this move as another federal power play against political opponents.
On August 27, Trump fired off a post on Truth Social claiming he wants to indict both Soros and son for funding these nationwide protests. His messaging was classic Trump takedown style: “George Soros, and his wonderful Radical Left son, should be charged with RICO because of their support of Violent Protests, and much more, all throughout the United States of America.” He didn’t stop there, warning Soros’s “Crazy, West Coast friends” that “we’re watching you!”
Trump’s latest social-media salvo: “Suing Soros and his boy for backing violent protests nationwide—watch out!”
Soros’s Legacy and the Political Battleground
The Financial Times notes how right-wing US media outlets have accused Soros’s Open Society Foundations—the massive charity he founded and which his son now chairs—of bankrolling protests against Trump’s troop deployments in Washington, D.C. The foundation firmly denied these claims, calling them “false.” Open Society Foundations is a huge player globally, disbursing about $1.5 billion a year to causes like human rights, government transparency, and public health.
Right-wing outlets claim Soros’s Open Society Foundations bankrolled the D.C. protests against Trump’s troop deployments.
Trump’s attack drew backing from none other than Elon Musk, who posted that “It’s time to go after Soros directly.” Musk had previously accused Soros of financing protests outside Tesla stores. Meanwhile, data shows the Soros family was one of Kamala Harris’s biggest donors last election cycle, splashing out over $8.5 billion just in 2024. Just before leaving office, Joe Biden awarded George Soros the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Soros reportedly handed over control of the foundation to Alexander in 2023, who describes himself as even more politically engaged than his dad and hints at opposing any Trump return to the White House. Soros is also known for pumping massive amounts of money into influential US media figures—Fox News once claimed over $32 billion has been spent promoting his “open society” agenda since the 1980s.
In 2023, George passed the Open Society torch to his son Alexander—who’s even more fired up about politics.
Of course, this is part of a bigger picture. Soros has been known for backing “color revolutions” worldwide—supporting regime changes in places like Ukraine, Georgia, and Kyrgyzstan by funding pro-democracy movements that also conveniently pave the way for his financial interests. His enduring antagonism to China is no secret either—calling it “the greatest threat to open society” and dubbing investments in China a “tragic mistake.” Not to mention his repeated attempts to influence Hong Kong, which mostly fizzled out.
Even some European countries have pushed back hard against Soros in recent years. Russia banned the Open Society Foundations in 2015, accusing it of undermining Russia’s security. By 2017, several countries including Hungary, Poland, Macedonia and Romania followed suit. Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s Prime Minister and Soros’s home turf, even hailed Trump’s victory as a major blow to Soros and his Democratic allies, calling for an EU crackdown on Soros’s “agents.”
So there it is: a mix of high-stakes political drama, financial power plays, and a narrative that divides opinion sharply. Trump’s move? A direct confrontation with one of the most controversial figures in global politics, just as the next US election gears up.
Deep Throat
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Last Friday, Trump flat-out torpedoed a much-anticipated zero-emissions deal for the global shipping industry, smashing it apart at the United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO). The Financial Times lays it all bare: to kill the net-zero shipping pact, Trump didn’t just lean on the usual diplomatic muscle—Washington went full gangster. Think raised port fees, outright bans on ships passing through America, and direct threats, and even personal intimidation of diplomats and their families, with entry bans waved in their faces like warning flags.
The Financial Times lays it out: over a dozen diplomats, foreign officials, and industry insiders watched the US throw diplomacy in the mud at last month’s London summit. Washington came armed with bullying tactics, determined to smash the net-zero shipping pact by brute force.
US Bullying Blocks IMO’s Green Shipping Deal—Vote Delayed a Year. IMO website image.
US officials didn’t bother with backroom deals—they stalked the halls, cornering diplomats from Africa, the Pacific, and the Caribbean. The message was simple: cross the United States, and your ships might not reach America. Rock the boat, and your family could be locked out. These weren’t idle whispers. The intimidation played out in broad daylight during coffee breaks.
Social Media Taunts, Policy Upends
Trump didn’t bother hiding his true feelings. On social media, he slammed the agreement as a “global green shipping tax scam.” But this wasn’t just venting. In April, most countries had already green-lit the framework. It was set to become real policy—until Trump’s team blew it up, forcing a one-year “pause.” The global momentum froze on the spot.
One diplomat cut to the heart of it: “It’s like the streets of New York.” His country got the warning firsthand—keep backing the deal, and watch your sailors’ visas disappear. US port fees? Those would rise too. Another attendee was even more blunt: IMO bigwigs were left gobsmacked. “It’s like dealing with the mafia,” they said. “You don’t need details. You just know: cross us, and you’ll pay.”
The US State Department kept mum on the intimidation claims. Instead, American officials handed out praise to Greece and Cyprus. Those two broke rank from the rest of the EU—they cast abstention votes in the big one-year adjournment, even after they already gave the framework the green light back in April.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, ahead of the IMO meeting in London, issued a joint statement with senior Trump officials warning that the administration was "evaluating sanctions on officials sponsoring activist-driven climate policies that would burden American consumers, among other measures under consideration." As Greece and Cyprus sided with the U.S., much of Europe—and the world—reacted with surprise.
Global Rules or American Muscle?
Chatham House’s head of global economy Creon Butler didn’t mince words. The US, he said, has ditched long-standing diplomatic etiquette. Instead, Washington's now muscling countries into backing its stance—especially on climate.
America Threatens: Support This, Your Crews and Ports Pay.
“In the very short term this might work, but in the medium term it increases the chances that non-US countries will conclude they cannot work with the US, making agreements independently among themselves which simply work around the US,” he said. Sooner or later, the rest of the world will ink deals that leave America in the dust.
The pushback reached fever pitch at the IMO. Brazil, among others, called out the methods “that should not ever be used among sovereign nations”. Washington wasn’t just rattling individuals—entire capitals, from Bangladesh to Japan and Indonesia, got notes threatening diplomatic smackdowns.
But let’s step back. The drive for a net-zero shipping pact isn’t about feel-good climate slogans.
As Niu Tanqin from Xinhua puts it: The pact itself is a brass-tacks response to global warming’s mounting cost. Whether you like it or not, global warming is simply an undisputable fact. Everyone is scrambling to stall off the climate catastrophes looming on the horizon.
So, in order to squeeze carbon emission: if your ship emits less than the set limit, you’re rewarded. Above the cut-off, you pay. China, the EU, Japan, India, Brazil—all were in. Even the big shipping companies joined the chorus.
Only a handful of oil states—think Saudi Arabia, Russia, the UAE—pushed back. Pacific island nations, unconvinced the pact was tough enough, simply abstained.
Trump Says Global Warming’s a Scam—US Walks Out.
Then, everything changed. Once Trump 2.0 manifested, the US flipped from supporter to saboteur. In his mind, climate change is a hoax—or worse, a Chinese plot to corner American interests. Stopping this agreement wasn’t just policy—it was personal. He didn’t mind stooping low—pulling out every trick in the high school bully’s playbook: pressure, threats, and outright intimidation to make sure America got its way.
One official wasn’t shy: “It was completely exceptional. I have never heard of anything like this in the context of an IMO negotiation. These people [being threatened] are just bureaucrats, they are civil servants.”
If international law becomes a mere cheap disguise, you can bet real power will be the one pulling the strings.
Pause Button Pressed—World Left Reeling
Now, the deal waits on ice for another year, while “the world stares, shell-shocked”—witnesses to a new era of American brinkmanship.
Not the first time, either. Just look at tariffs: if Washington’s unhappy, it writes its own tax bill—no debate required. Venezuela and Nigeria have both fielded threats of military action; Canada and Panama know the taste of territorial intimidation. Lawless? That’s par for the course.
But payback, as always, has a funny way of coming due. Today, the US bullies island nations and slaps down climate claims. Tomorrow, who’s next? When “might makes right” replaces rules, every nation that depends on order will lose out. True justice may come late—but it never skips its date. Chip away at the pillars of fairness, and sooner or later, you bury the very house you live in.
The real question: how long can America’s strong-arm show go on before the world walks out?
