For decades, the U.S. government acted as a regulator, referee, and lender of last resort. That era is over. More News from Barchart As of January 2026, the Trump administration has made a decisive shift: from writing checks to taking ownership. Through the Department of Defense and Department of Energy, the U.S. is now taking direct equity stakes in public companies tied to semiconductors, rare earths, lithium, and defense manufacturing. On Wall Street, this new approach has a nickname: “The American ...