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Trump’s ‘Good Time To Buy’ Comment: Just hours before announcing a 90-day suspension of sweeping tariffs on countries excluding China on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform with an unusually confident tone.
Before the announcement of the 90-day pause on US ‘reciprocal tariffs’, Donald Trump in his social media post said, “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT”. (Photo: Reuters)
Trump Buy Stocks Tip: A whirlwind day on Wall Street has triggered a political firestorm, as US President Donald Trump’s bullish social media messages just before the dramatic pause on ‘reciprocal tariffs’ and a historic stock market rebound have raised questions over potential insider trading and market manipulation.
Just hours before announcing a 90-day suspension of sweeping tariffs on countries excluding China on Wednesday, Trump took to his Truth Social platform with an unusually confident tone. “BE COOL! Everything is going to work out well. The USA will be bigger and better than ever before!” he wrote. Minutes later, he doubled down: “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT.”
Markets responded with a surge not seen in years. The tech-heavy Nasdaq skyrocketed 12.2% in its best single-day performance since 2001, while the S&P 500 jumped 9.5% and the Dow Jones gained 2,800 points, up roughly 8%.
However, the timing of Trump’s posts, especially the mention of “DJT” — the stock ticker for his media company, Trump Media and Technology Group — raised immediate red flags. Shares of Trump Media soared 22.67%, adding $415 million in value to Trump’s majority stake, held in a trust managed by his son, Donald Trump Jr.
Only one stock – Tesla, another favourite among Trump administration insiders – narrowly outperformed Trump Media on the day, edging it out by two-hundredths of a percentage point.
Several analysts, including legal experts and lawmakers, questioned whether Trump’s comments were part of a coordinated strategy to manipulate markets. “He’s loving this control over markets, but he better be careful,” said Richard Painter, former White House ethics lawyer, as per news agency AP. “The people who bought when they saw that post made a lot of money.”
Calls for an investigation came swiftly. Senator Adam Schiff, Democrat of California, publicly urged an inquiry into possible insider trading or manipulation. “Family meme coins and all the rest of it are not beyond insider trading or enriching themselves,” Schiff said, referencing previous developments tied to Trump, including the launch of the $TRUMP meme coin.
“It’s a great question. He certainly had a lot to gain,” added Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota.
Legal scholars echoed the concerns. Kathleen Clark, a government ethics expert from Washington University, told AP that in other administrations, such posts would have likely prompted immediate investigations. “He’s sending the message that he can manipulate the market with impunity. As in: Watch this space for future stock tips,” she said.
What White House Officials Say
White House officials defended the President’s comments as attempts to reassure the public amid market volatility. “It is the responsibility of the President to reassure the markets and Americans about their economic security in the face of nonstop media fearmongering,” said White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement to TIME.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick dismissed the backlash, calling the President’s posts “expressions of optimism”. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a former hedge fund manager, provided a more strategic defence, saying the tariff pause was designed to open the door for negotiations with US allies and put pressure on China.
Still, confusion around the timing of the decision only deepened suspicions. Trump initially said the pause was decided “this morning” but later claimed it had been made “fairly early this morning”. No official timeline was provided.