Trump's lawsuit threat just expanded to deep pockets, with Soros and Gates in his sights

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump has named George Soros, Bill and Melinda Gates, Google, Apple, major banks and several foreign entities, saying he is considering adding contributors to a potential lawsuit against the Center for American Progress (CAP).

Trump's latest escalation comes after CAP published a July report concluding that National Guard deployments in several US cities had no measurable effect on violent crime.

The president rejected the findings and accused the Washington-based policy group of spreading false information about his administration's public safety record.

Trump initially threatened legal action against CAP and researcher Chandler Hall after Hall discussed the report publicly.

His lawyers later demanded a retraction and threatened a $5 billion defamation lawsuit.

CAP refused to withdraw the report and has maintained that its findings were based on publicly available crime data and statistical analysis.

Trump puts donors on notice

In his Truth Social post, Trump called CAP the “Center for American Lack of Progress” and named a lengthy list of people and organizations he said funded the group.

The president listed Soros, Bill and Melinda Gates, Google, Apple, Visa, Goldman Sachs, Citigroup, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Walmart, Toyota, T-Mobile, and NBC Universal.

He also mentioned the Embassy of Japan, the Korea Foundation, Taiwan's Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office, and the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates.

Trump said he was “strongly considering” adding some contributors to the legal action, though he did not identify which individuals or organizations could be targeted or explain what specific claims they could face.

The list reflected Trump's allegations about CAP's supporters.

CAP says its work is independent of donor interests, adding that corporate and foreign government donors cannot fund specific research or policy objectives.

Report triggered Trump's legal threat

The dispute began with CAP's July 13 analysis of National Guard deployments under the Trump administration.

Written by Hall, the report examined deployments in cities including Washington, DC, Los Angeles and Memphis.

CAP concluded that there was no statistically significant evidence that the Guard deployments reduced violent crime, homicide, or gun violence.

The organization also estimated the deployments could cost taxpayers more than $1.7 billion if they continued through the end of 2026.

Trump has repeatedly credited his administration's policies for falling crime and strongly disputed the report's conclusions.

After his initial threat, his attorney sent CAP a letter demanding a retraction and warning of a possible $5 billion lawsuit.

CAP president Neera Tanden rejected the demand, calling the legal threat an attempt to silence the organization.

More than 150 organizations have since publicly expressed support for CAP and its First Amendment rights.

What this could mean next

Trump's comments have widened the dispute from a fight over one research report to a potential legal battle involving people and institutions connected to the organization.

As of the latest available reports, CAP has refused to retract its analysis, while Trump has threatened a lawsuit but has not publicly detailed whether contributors named in his post will actually be included.