Watchdog warns BlackRock rebrand a farce as Fink seeks to curry favor with Trump

Asset manager BlackRock's recent attempts to curry favor with President Donald Trump have at least one watchdog warning that the firm is a wolf in sheep's clothing hoping to gloss over its history of supporting woke causes.

"[BlackRock CEO] Larry Fink has made it clear that he is no friend to President Trump or any American under the MAGA banner," warned Consumers' Reserach Executive Director Will Hild. "Any effort to mend relations with conservatives is a Trojan Horse and should be dismissed as such."

Under Fink, the firm recently moved to purchase several port facilities in the Panama Canal as Trump has warned of the threat of Chinese influence in the critical waterway. Hild's warning, however, comes as Fink condemned Trump's tariff moves in a speech to the Economic Club of New York.

"As we saw in New York, Fink cannot stop himself from disparaging the presidents' policies even while scurrying to rebrand himself a MAGA ally. I have no doubt that President Trump can see through Fink's facade, but I implore the American public to view his desperate makeover with a healthy dose of skepticism," Hild continued. "Should Fink actually defund woke agendas instead of renaming them, and should he fully disavow the ESG policies that infected every corner of the American economy at his command, I would welcome his conversion with a red ball cap of his own. But today is not that day."

Fink's tenure at BlackRock has witnessed several controversies, namely those surrounding the firm's support for environmental, social, and governance (ESG)-based investing practices and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. BlackRock, however, left the Net-Zero Asset Managers initiative earlier this year and announced the roll-back of its DEI programs in March.