The Weaponization of Power: Trump’s Targeting of Black Women Leaders
- CUBNSC
- 7 days ago
- 4 min read
By Javar Juarez | CUBNSC | Washington, D.C. - In a dangerous and callous move, the 34-count convicted felon President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that he was firing Lisa Cook, the first Black woman to serve on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Cook, nominated by President Joe Biden and confirmed in 2022 to a term lasting until 2038, was accused of alleged “mortgage fraud” and “misconduct.” She has called the dismissal legally dubious and vowed to fight the attempt in court.
The referral came from Bill Pulte, Trump ally and head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). And it isn’t the first time Pulte’s office has been at the center of such referrals.
Trump targeting Black women leaders: A Disturbing Pattern
This is the same tactic being used against New York Attorney General Letitia James. In April 2025, the FHFA again—under Pulte’s leadership—referred James to the Department of Justice for allegedly misrepresenting property details, such as whether an investment property was a primary residence. The FBI opened a criminal investigation in May, and by August, the DOJ escalated it into a civil-rights probe, assigning a special prosecutor to comb through James’s real estate dealings. James, like Cook, has rejected the charges as politically motivated retaliation.
These incidents are not isolated. They represent a pattern of weaponizing mortgage-fraud referrals to target Trump’s most visible adversaries, particularly high-profile Black women. Rather than independent, evidence-based law enforcement, these prosecutions appear to be driven by vendetta politics.
The scope widens further: On August 22, 2025, the FBI raided former National Security Adviser John Bolton’s home and PAC office in Washington, D.C., citing classified document handling. Bolton, a long-time Trump critic, has not been charged. Critics argue the raid was less about national security than about punishing dissent. Commentators, from The Wall Street Journal editorial board to MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough, have described Trump’s campaign as a “revenge crusade.”
Why Black Women?
Going after Black women is not just convenient—it is strategic. In Trump’s worldview, steeped in racism and resentment, Black women could never be fully qualified. In today’s GOP, the terms “Woke” and “DEI” have been weaponized to signal inferiority, casting diversity as incompetence.
Yet Black women’s leadership in federal institutions represents some of the most profound breakthroughs in American history. For centuries, Black women were denied legal personhood, considered property under slavery, and excluded from professional and civic life. Their ascent to positions like Federal Reserve Governor, Librarian of Congress, and NLRB member marks a radical transformation of American democracy and legitimacy. That is precisely why Trump and his allies are attacking them—it undermines the visible progress that challenges white patriarchal power.
A History of Dismissals
Trump’s track record speaks volumes:
Carla Hayden, the first Black woman Librarian of Congress, was dismissed by Trump in May 2025 after testifying before Congress.
Gwynne Wilcox, the first Black woman to serve on the National Labor Relations Board, was fired in February 2025 alongside other officials. She is now suing, calling the removal unlawful.
Angella Reid, the first woman and first Black woman White House Chief Usher, was abruptly dismissed in May 2017.
This pattern is not new. It is a sustained project of erasing Black women from visible centers of power and scandalizing their reputations to make their appointments appear unworthy or illegitimate.
The Stakes for the Economy
Lisa Cook’s ouster is not only an attack on her as an individual, but also on the integrity of the Federal Reserve. The Fed governs the nation’s money supply, credit conditions, and interest rates. Removing a sitting governor without cause risks destabilizing financial markets and sets a dangerous precedent that the central bank can be politically purged.
Moreover, the symbolic impact is profound. Black women have been leaving corporate America in droves, citing hostile work environments, stalled advancement, and retaliation when they lead boldly. Cook’s dismissal sends a chilling message to every young Black woman entering finance, law, or public service: even at the highest levels, your legitimacy can be stripped away with the stroke of a tweet.
The Mosby Question
It is worth asking: is Bill Pulte using Marilyn Mosby—the former Baltimore State’s Attorney who faced federal mortgage fraud charges—as a template or scapegoat to justify targeting Black women leaders? By framing them as uniformly corrupt, untrustworthy, or fraudulent, the Trump-Pulte strategy creates a narrative pipeline: Black woman + mortgage = criminal suspicion.
This is not accidental. It is a weaponized racial and gendered stereotype, designed to collapse the public trust in Black leadership at the very moment it is most visible.
Donald Trump’s campaign of firings, investigations, and raids against his adversaries is not random chaos. It is a deliberate strategy of retribution—aimed most forcefully at Black women who symbolize progress. From Lisa Cook at the Federal Reserve to Letitia James in New York, to Carla Hayden, Gwynne Wilcox, and Angella Reid, the message is clear: no achievement, no confirmation, no institutional protection is safe from political vengeance.
The question is whether America will recognize this pattern for what it is: not just an attack on individuals, but an attack on democracy itself, where progress and diversity are deliberately rolled back under the guise of “cause.”
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