https://wallstreetonparade.com/2024/12/donald-trump-to-ring-bell-at-new-york... By Pam Martens and Russ Martens: December 12, 2024 ~ Wanted Poster in Manhattan Following Assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson Wanted Poster in Manhattan Following Assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson The Associated Press is reporting that Donald Trump will ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange at 9:30 a.m. this morning as Time Magazine is expected to name him its “Person of the Year,” also today. This appears to be the latest in growing efforts by Trump’s marketing machine to define deviancy down while attempting to normalize Trump’s unprecedented monetizing of the Presidency as nothing more than good ole capitalism. (The Trump Organization now has its own “official retail website,” TrumpStore.com, hawking everything from sweaters and gift wrap to a line of home goods, all emblazoned with the “Trump” name.) If Trump does show up this morning to ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange, it will be his first time doing so. It will also be the first time that a 34-count convicted felon has rung the bell at the New York Stock Exchange while awaiting to be inaugurated as President of the United States on January 20. Why would the iconic New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) want to tarnish its brand by consorting with scandal-ridden Donald Trump? One potential explanation comes to mind. The NYSE was sold to the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) in 2013. ICE remains its parent today. Jeffrey Sprecher is the Founder, Chairman & CEO of the Intercontinental Exchange. This past year, Sprecher wrote out big checks to Make America Great Again, Inc. (MAGAPAC), the Super PAC with a stated mission of ensuring “a second Trump administration.” Sprecher contributed $1 million to MAGAPAC on June 26 and another check for $250,000 on September 9. In addition, Sprecher contributed $924,600 to the Trump 47 Committee, a joint-fundraising committee created to support Trump, the Republican National Committee and state Republican party committees. Sprecher also contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars more directly to the Republican National Committee and state Republican Party committees. Trump’s appearance at the New York Stock Exchange in the Wall Street area comes in a week that the New York City Police Department has issued a bulletin warning that companies should be on heightened alert to protect the safety of their CEOs and other senior executives. The bulletin revealed that “Wanted Posters” were being posted around Manhattan naming specific CEOs and included their photos. Posting Wanted Posters targeting CEOs in prominent areas of Manhattan this past week strikes us as particularly curious since it has been widely reported by news media that there are thousands of surveillance cameras throughout Manhattan and the NYPD has the capability to use facial recognition technology to zoom in on bad actors. Indeed, in very short order after the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on December 4, the NYPD released multiple photos of the suspected assassin, tracking his movements around Manhattan both with and without his mask in place. Bloomberg News reported the following regarding the Wanted Posters: “The posters included images of insurance leaders including UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s Brian Thompson, who was murdered last Wednesday, as well as financial executives from American Express Co., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Bank of America Corp. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. The posters of Thompson were crossed out with a red X.” The NYPD bulletin was not made available to the public, but ABC News was able to obtain a copy. ABC News reported that the bulletin quoted several anti-CEO social media posts, including a Reddit post that read: “The politicians are compromised and the corporations are suffocating us – all CEO’s should be considered. Sucks when your government is bought by these CEO’s who immediately impact the masses.” ABC News also reported that the NYPD bulletin warned that “prior to and after” the arrest of Luigi Mangione, the 26-year old suspected assassin of Brian Thompson on a sidewalk outside of the New York Hilton Midtown hotel on December 4, “some online users across social media platforms reacted positively to the killing, encouraged future targeting of similar executives, and shared conspiracy theories regarding the shooting.” FacebookTwitterWhatsAppLinkedInEmail