While financial markets were still reeling from recent volatility, former President Donald Trump fired off what critics are calling a suspiciously-timed stock tip. At 9:37 a.m., Trump posted on Truth Social urging investors to “BUY!!! DJT” – a message that would soon raise eyebrows across Washington.
Less than four hours later, Trump dropped a bombshell: a 90-day pause on nearly all tariffs. The markets exploded upward, recouping a staggering $4 trillion in value. Trump Media stock (DJT) shot up 22.67%, padding Trump’s own portfolio by $415 million in a single day. Not bad for a morning’s work.
Democrats wasted no time crying foul. Senators Adam Schiff and Chris Murphy led the charge, demanding investigations into potential insider trading and market manipulation. Rep. Steven Horsford grilled U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, searching for answers about who knew what and when.
Democratic lawmakers, led by Senators Schiff and Murphy, immediately called for probes into potential market manipulation following Trump’s controversial stock message.
The timing certainly raised questions. Was “DJT” referring to the stock market in general or Trump Media specifically? Did Trump know about the upcoming tariff announcement when he posted his buy recommendation? The White House isn’t saying much, dismissing the allegations as “partisan games” while dodging specifics about Trump’s intent.
Legal experts aren’t so quick to shrug it off. Richard Painter, a former White House ethics lawyer, warned that Trump’s actions ventured into dangerous territory. Kathleen Clark noted that similar behavior would have triggered immediate investigations in previous administrations. Securities law explicitly prohibits insider trading or helping others do so. The NASDAQ saw its best trading session ever following Trump’s tariff announcement, raising further questions about market impact.
The ripple effects went beyond Trump Media. Tesla’s stock surged, adding $20 billion to Elon Musk’s net worth.
But critics remain focused on the president’s unprecedented use of social media for market-moving commentary, especially given Trump Media’s $400 million loss the previous year.
The question remains: Did Trump cross legal lines with his perfectly-timed stock tip? Or was it just another day of presidential social media antics? One thing’s certain – Wall Street‘s never seen anything quite like this before.
