CNN’s Aaron Blake Calls Out Trump for ‘Publicly Promoting the Business of a Donor’ Amid Palantir Slide

Then President-elect Donald Trump with Palantir co-founder Peter Thiel at Trump Tower in December 2016. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

In a Friday X post, CNN’s Aaron Blake called out President Donald Trump for “publicly promoting the business of a donor” after he celebrated Palantir Technologies on Truth Social amid a dip in its stock.

“Trump is publicly promoting the business of a donor, complete with its stock ticker,” wrote Blake, a senior political reporter at the network, implying that the president included the ticker to tell people exactly how to find — and even buy — the stock.

“This comes as Palantir stock has struggled of late,” he continued.

Included in Blake’s post is a screenshot of Trump’s message just earlier on Friday, reading, “Palantir Technologies (PLTR) has proven to have great war fighting capabilities and equipment. Just ask our enemies!!! President DJT.”

According to reporting from CNBC, the U.S. military has deployed Palantir’s AI-driven Maven system to identify targets in the Middle East, including during strikes on Iran that began in late February. Government clients — including the Pentagon and ICE — account for more than half of the company’s U.S. revenue.

As Blake mentioned, the president’s post comes as Palantir stock is headed for a steep weekly decline, falling roughly 15% and trading around $128 after a broader sell-off in software and artificial intelligence companies.

The company has also faced internal unease over its political direction. In October, Palantir communications chief Lisa Gordon called the company’s shift toward closer alignment with the Trump administration “concerning” at an event hosted by The Information. Video of the remarks was later removed from the outlet’s YouTube and social media channels.

Additionally, as noted by Blake, Palantir is also listed among the corporate donors helping fund Trump’s planned $300 million White House ballroom. Along with Palantir, the massive expansion is backed by a group of major corporations, including Lockheed Martin, as well as tech giants like Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!