PANews reported on March 27 that, according to Bloomberg, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson sent a letter to payment companies including Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, and Stripe, warning them against refusing service based on users' political views or religious beliefs. Ferguson stated that preventing law-abiding individuals from operating legitimate businesses is inconsistent with American values.
This move comes as the Trump administration focuses on "de-banking," having previously sued JPMorgan Chase and its CEO Jamie Dimon, accusing the bank of cutting off services to Trump and his businesses for political reasons. The Trump Organization has also sued Capital One Financial Corp., alleging political discrimination. Both JPMorgan Chase and Capital One have denied the allegations. Stripe responded that it would not restrict services based on political views.

