Holy smokes.
This is one busy guy, with two YUGE announcements today, one on that all-important 'affordability issue' that Republicans need to focus like lasers on, and the other with prodding a fat defense industry into action.
On the homefront, Trump sent out a Truth Social note that he was 'taking immediate steps' to ban 'large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes.'
Trump promises to take steps to bar institutional investors, ie BlackRock, from purchasing single-family homes. "People live in homes," he says, "not corporations." pic.twitter.com/erLHuFlzlG
— Philip Melanchthon Wegmann (@PhilipWegmann) January 7, 2026
The president said he would ask Congress to 'codify it' and would discuss more of his affordability plans in a speech at Davos in a couple of weeks.
..."It is for that reason, and much more, that I am immediately taking steps to ban large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes, and I will be calling on Congress to codify it," Trump said.
The president added that he "will discuss this topic, including further Housing and Affordability proposals, and more, at my speech in Davos in two weeks."
That's all pretty vague at the moment, and I'm not really sure if it's legal or not. I guess they'll have to get that part ironed out.
Whatever his plans are, BlackRock is already doing damage control, which is kind of hysterical.
IT'S NOT US DOING IT, DUDES
Other U.S. investment firms are buying single-family real estate—BlackRock is not one of them. We do not buy individual houses. Learn more here: https://t.co/t0UbAcnE9W
— BlackRock Fact (@BlackRockFact) January 7, 2026
The company that people mean to be referring to as the villain in this scenario is Blackstone. Their stock took a hit on the announcement, as did the other large homebuying corporations.
...Large institutional investors such as Blackstone, JPMorgan Chase, and other banks and investment firms have increasingly snapped up family homes in recent years, eyeing rising returns on home prices. These investors often buy and rent out homes, and their presence grew after the foreclosure wave during the Great Recession in 2008, particularly in the Sun Belt states.
Shares of Blackstone fell by as much as 9% on Wednesday after the president’s social media post.
And while the share of institutional-investor-owned homes has really soared over the past decade, analysts are split on whether such a ban, if it could be enacted, would deliver the results intended. Quite a few think it would have little to no effect on sky-high home prices and hurt the availability of rental properties.
...No investor owned 1,000 or more single-family rental homes as of 2011, according to the Government Accountability Office. However, by 2015, institutional investors collectively owned up to 300,000 homes.
In Atlanta; Jacksonville, Florida; and Charlotte, North Carolina, large investors controlled more than 15% of the market for single-family homes as of 2022, according to the GAO.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have proposed barring certain corporate investors from the home-buying market, arguing that their practice of buying houses en masse has pushed up prices and made it harder for individual Americans to find homes.
But some housing experts and economists have panned the idea to ban large investors, contending that it would have little impact on overall housing stock and risk depressing investment in the market.
“This will not fix housing affordability. It may boost single-family purchases, but it will come at the cost of reducing single-family rentals,” said Jaret Seiberg, analyst at TD Cowen, in a note Wednesday.
From a personal perspective, I'm in the camp with those who believe that higher interest rates are keeping people in homes they would love to get out of. Being one of them myself, who would be delighted to shift to a slightly larger crib, we are unwilling to do so, and abandon out lovely 2018 low-mortgage rate for something that will probably eat every dime in equity we could have made selling this place. We're realistic and don't expect to see it in the 4% range anytime soon, but the difference between what we have and the current smidge over 6% on, say, a $400K 30 year fixed would be pretty significant.
I know there are a lot of folks sitting as we are, and that was stalling the market, and making what new homes or listings that came available more expensive. It has loosened up quite a bit from even a year ago. There are more homes for sale in our area, which seems to be doing well. Sales do take a longer time, modest price reductions are common, and there aren't the bidding wars there were.
I think that's also a sign of the economic uncertainties - lots of government jobs were lost here, too, for instance, either through the early out program or some layoffs. People are cautious. But they do want to live here, so our home prices really haven't settled off the highs too much at all.
What Trump says about his plans at Davos will be interesting, but the most important thing is that he's addressing it. Affordability issues need to be seen front and center as an administration priority.
The second shoe to drop was about defense contractors and their stock and dividend buybacks, which have always been a lucrative side hustle, even as their production lags nad quality fades.
Trump says 'no more.'
All United State Defense Contractors, and the Defense Industry as a whole, BEWARE: While we make the best Military Equipment in the World (No other Country is even close! ), Defense Contractors are currently issuing massive Dividends to their Shareholders and massive Stock…
— TrumpReposter (@TrumpReposter) January 7, 2026
...issuing massive Dividends to their Shareholders and massive Stock Buybacks, at the expense and detriment of investing in Plants and Equipment. This situation will no longer be allowed or tolerated!
Also, Executive Pay Packages in the Defense Industry are exorbitant and unjustifiable given how slowly these Companies are delivering vital Equipment to our Military, and our Allies. Salaries, Stock Options, and every other form of Compensation are far too high for these Executives. Defense Companies are not producing our Great Military Equipment rapidly enough and, once produced, not maintaining it properly or quickly. From this moment forward, these Executives must build NEW and MODERN Production Plants, both for delivering and maintaining this important Equipment, and for building the latest Models of future Military Equipment. Until they do so, no Executive should be allowed to make in excess of $5 Million Dollars which, as high as it sounds, is a mere fraction of what they are making now. Additionally, the maintenance and repair of Equipment, once sold, is far too slow, and must be immediately enhanced. As President, I am demanding that maintenance be “spot on, on time. ”
Therefore, I will not permit Dividends or Stock Buybacks for Defense Companies until such time as these problems are rectified — Likewise, for Salaries and Executive Compensation. MILITARY EQUIPMENT IS NOT BEING MADE FAST ENOUGH! It must be built now with the Dividends, Stock Buybacks, and Over Compensation of Executives, rather than borrowing from Financial Institutions, or getting the money from your Government. Longer term, this is good for both Executives and Shareholders, because it will be GREAT for our Country! Thank you for your attention to this matter. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!
Almost as if they had to earn what they were getting with production. What a concept
Trump had signaled he was thinking about acting in a speech before Christmas, talking about how executives got forty or fifty million dollars a year but couldn't build a single thing efficiently or quickly.
This is a pretty big deal…
— Geiger Capital (@Geiger_Capital) December 22, 2025
Trump on the defense prime contractors focusing on Wall St instead of production:
"We’ll be discussing executive pay, dividends, CapEx and buybacks. I don’t want them buying back their stock. I want them putting the money into Plant and Equipment." pic.twitter.com/Sy8THQuLhI
I hope they saved some of that Christmas bonus money.
The last item was something that's already been accomplished and will continue in the coming year. Trump and his department heads are regulation-cutting machines.
He promised to cut ten regulations for every new one he enacted, remember?
The Trump administration has managed to cut 129 rules for every new one.
Trump 2.0 is delivering real deregulation: 129 rules eliminated for every new one.
— Stephen Moore (@StephenMoore) December 23, 2025
Agencies are scrapping costly mandates, reopening American energy, and cutting red tape.
That means massive savings, stronger growth, and more freedom for Americans. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/zLdgWGjejs
Back in November, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was touting how much money the Trump deregulatory actions were going to save the American taxpayer and consumer.
Democrats caused an affordability crisis through reckless spending that led to record inflation and hurt the American people.
— Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (@SecScottBessent) November 19, 2025
President Trump’s policies of deregulation and private-sector growth are reversing this trend. Inflation is curving down, real incomes are rising, and… pic.twitter.com/4xZEZd3QKx
...President Trump’s policies of deregulation and private-sector growth are reversing this trend. Inflation is curving down, real incomes are rising, and America is recovering.
But only recently have real numbers been available on the effect of the deregulation effort.
HOLY SMOKES
Since Trump took office he cut 646 regulations totaling over $200 billion in annual savings -- $1,500 per household.
— Peter St Onge, Ph.D. (@profstonge) January 6, 2026
This year could be much bigger if Congress passes the REINS Act that guts the bureaucratic oligarchy. pic.twitter.com/0uSYS0edoJ
As St Onge explains in his always worthy video, regulations are what gave our manufacturing to China to begin with. Now, I would also proffer a tiny quibble that unions played a decent part in it, but point granted - nowhere near what an onerous regulatory and tax environment did for driving manufacturing offshore.
There is real money being saved here and a real unleashing of American business and innovation. Trump got a good headstart on it in his first term, but was swiftly bogged down by repeated congressional attacks and what we now know was insider sabotage within nearly every department in government.
This is also another point of order for the '26 campaign cycle - not only to keep the majority, but to grow it to keep the Trump momentum rolling. God forbid Democrats take the House or worse, both chambers again - it will be nothing but clownshow impeachment trials and investigations.
This forward movement and growth, this enormous regrowth potential staring us right in the face, will be as if it had never existed.
We can't let that happen.
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