Trump Threatens to Revive Anti-Weaponisation Fund Amid Blanche Confirmation Standoff

United States President Donald Trump has said he would push ahead with a controversial anti-weaponisation fund if his nominee for attorney general, Todd Blanche, is not approved. The remarks deepen a standoff with two Republican senators who are withholding support for Blanche's confirmation. The dispute centres on a $1.776bn fund that critics say would reward people who claimed political persecution.

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Trump made the threat in a post on Truth Social on Saturday, saying the fund would be "back on the table" if Blanche is not confirmed. He also said he would "push hard to get the Anti-Weaponization Bill" passed and keep Blanche in place as acting attorney general if needed. Blanche, who is currently serving in an interim role, has said the fund is dead, but Trump's comments suggest he is prepared to keep the issue alive as leverage.

The confirmation fight has been held up by Senators John Cornyn and Thom Tillis, both Republicans. They have said Blanche has not given enough guarantees that the fund cannot be revived. The fund was created through a controversial settlement involving the Internal Revenue Service after Trump sued the agency for $10bn.

Blanche, who previously served as Trump's criminal defence attorney, oversaw the initial creation of the arrangement. The dispute matters because it touches both on the use of federal power and on the limits of presidential influence over the tax agency and the Justice Department. The fund has drawn bipartisan criticism, and Trump's latest comments risk making the confirmation battle more difficult.

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The issue also raises questions about whether a legislative route to revive the fund would have any realistic chance in Congress, where members of both parties have already expressed scepticism. Trump has defended the fund's purpose in recent days, saying on Friday that it was "dead" but that he wished it were not. His latest intervention suggests he is willing to use the fund as a bargaining tool in the fight over Blanche's nomination.

That has put additional pressure on Senate Republicans, who must decide whether to back the nominee or continue to demand firmer assurances. What remains unclear is whether the White House will try to pursue the fund through Congress, through the Justice Department, or abandon the idea if Blanche is confirmed. It is also not clear whether Cornyn and Tillis will soften their position after Trump's latest remarks.

For now, the standoff appears set to continue, with the confirmation process and the future of the fund both unresolved.

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