JD Vance Gets a New Enemy — and It's Not Who You Think
Trump signed 3 EOs targeting fraud in CA & MN, protecting Army-Navy TV rights, and blocking hedge funds from buying homes — all in one day.
ELEVATED
A busy executive order day with real policy weight — fraud investigations targeting two blue states and a potential housing market intervention — but no major legal battles, market shocks, or international crises to push the meter higher.
Key Developments
You probably thought today would be quiet.
It wasn't.
**Three executive orders landed at the White House this Friday** — and together, they paint a picture of an administration pointing its firepower in some very unexpected directions.
Let's start with the one that has two governors reaching for the phone.
Trump signed an executive order establishing a brand-new task force — chaired personally by Vice President JD Vance — specifically targeting what the administration calls rampant fraud in government benefit programs.
**The targets? California and Minnesota.**
Carl DeMaio, a former San Diego city councilman and conservative radio host, put it plainly on X: "The task force will be headed by VP JD Vance and will target fraud in CA. Here's what areas they're going to be investigating, and why Gavin Newsom should be worried." [1]
Newsom isn't the only one paying attention.
A separate post confirmed the task force's mandate extends to Minnesota as well — with the order directing investigators to "eliminate fraud, close loopholes, and ensure benefits go only to eligible Americans." [7]
Why Minnesota? The state has been at the center of a years-long federal investigation into alleged fraud in its federally funded childcare and food programs — a scandal that already resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in suspected losses and multiple criminal convictions.