Trump strikes out against the Bank of America over the treatment of conservative

President Trump took an unexpected bang on Thursday to the big banks that have cheered on his return to office as he raised many years of Republican complaints that they are being discriminated against by great lenders.

The moment almost came as a violation when Mr. Trump almost participated in a question-and-response session with leaders gathered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Hans Asker, Brian T. Moynihan, Bank of America’s CEO, asked an outsider, prepared questions about the new administration’s plans for the economy.

Mr. Trump completed an almost two minute response by observing:

“Apropos you – and you’ve done a fantastic job – but I hope you start opening your bank to Conservatives, too many conservative complaints that banks do not allow them to do business in the bank. A place called Bank of America, ”said Mr. Trump.

He continued with reference to JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon (who was not on stage), “You and Jamie and everyone else I hope you will open your banks to Conservatives, for what you do is wrong.”

Mr. Moynihan replied with what seemed to be a nervous laugh and by changing the topic for next year’s World Cup.

A Bank of America spokesman, Bill Halldin, later said in a statement that the lender never closed accounts for political reasons, but was “obliged to follow extensive state rules and regulations that sometimes result in decisions to leave customer relationships.”

Mr. Trump’s turning to the subject was a surprise at the moment, not least because bankers have been the tensions around his second term of office, which they hope will touch an era of profits encouraged by relaxed rules. Still, the topic of political discrimination is a trampled topic that Mr. Trump occasionally picked up during his campaign.

For years, Conservatives have complained about diversity, equity and inclusion programs in large lenders and over the restriction of investments in fossil fuels and energy. They have also accused banks of closing accounts for, or debanks, religious groups.

These concerns have been repeated by cryptocurrency backers and prominent venture capitalists, who now constitute a large block of support for Mr. Trump. They were also subject to A letter Last year from Republican State Attorneys to Bank of America, who said the lender was “responsible for some of the worst known cases of bank fluctuations.” Bank of America responded with a letter that rejected the charges.

In response to complaints about debanking, banking groups generally respond by blaming rules that require them to mark and automatically close accounts that show suspicious activities associated with money laundering. They point out that complaints about such closures come from customers, large and small across the political spectrum.

A spokeswoman for JPMorgan, Patricia Wexler, said the burden is in “regulatory ambiguity.”

“We follow the law and guidance from our regulators and have long said that there are problems with the current framework that Washington has to address,” she said in a statement.