Stock trades & market timing

327 stock purchases the day before he paused the tariffs

Up to $12.8M in purchases on April 8, 2025

On April 9, 2025, Trump posted “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!” and hours later paused his tariffs; the S&P 500 rose 9.5% that day. His disclosure, filed over a year later, shows his accounts made 327 stock purchases worth up to $12.8M the day before, including Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet. CNBC's analysis found that was more than five times his daily average for the year but only his 11th-busiest buying day of 2025. No transaction reports had been filed in the meantime.

Their response: White House: the assets are in “fully discretionary accounts managed by independent third-party financial institutions,” and it is the president's job “to reassure the markets.” Senate Democrats asked the SEC to investigate; no findings have been made public.

Sources: CNBC · NBC News

More than 14,000 stock and bond trades in a year

14,000+ trades in 2025

Clinton and Bush used blind trusts; Obama and Biden held no individual stocks. Trump's disclosure for 2025 reports more than 14,000 individual stock and bond trades in accounts held for him (about 21,200 securities transactions in all, counting funds), in a year when his tariff decisions repeatedly moved markets.

Their response: The White House says independent managers make the trades without his input.

Sources: Trump's 2026 financial disclosure (OGE Form 278e) · Neutral chart: stock trades in office

Officials sold stock just before tariff announcements

12+ officials and aides

ProPublica found more than a dozen administration officials and congressional aides sold stock shortly before tariff news sent markets down, including Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who sold shares in nearly three dozen companies on February 11, 2025. No wrongdoing has been found.

Their response: Duffy's spokesperson said his account manager made the trades without his input.

Sources: ProPublica

The attorney general sold Trump Media shares on “Liberation Day”

$1M–$5M in shares

Pam Bondi, then attorney general, sold $1M to $5M of Trump Media stock on April 2, 2025, the day sweeping tariffs were announced after markets closed. Her ethics agreement required her to sell by early May; the filing does not show the time of day.

Their response: The Justice Department did not respond to ProPublica's questions.

Sources: ProPublica

A $300 million loss avoided on the way into government

~$300M loss avoided (Bloomberg estimate)

Social Security Commissioner Frank Bisignano sold about $530M of stock in Fiserv, the company he ran, under a tax break for incoming officials, before its shares fell more than 40%. Fiserv later won part of a federal benefits-card contract.

Their response: Senators asked for an investigation; no response from Bisignano was found.

Sources: Bloomberg · Government Executive

More than 3,600 trades worth at least $220 million in the first three months of 2026

At least $220M traded in three months (Reuters tally)

A periodic transaction report released by the Office of Government Ethics on May 14, 2026 lists more than 3,600 trades in accounts held for Trump between January and March 2026, about 60 per trading day; Reuters put their combined value at $220 million to $750 million. The largest were in technology: purchases of $1 million to $5 million each in Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, Oracle, Broadcom and Dell among others, and sales of $5 million to $25 million each of Microsoft, Amazon and Meta on February 10. The accounts also bought the military suppliers Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and Northrop Grumman during the Iran war. Presidents are exempt from the conflict-of-interest law that binds other officials; Fortune reported that no president since Lyndon Johnson had actively traded individual securities in office.

Their response: White House spokesman Davis Ingle: “President Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children. There are no conflicts of interest.” Trump Organization: the holdings are in “fully discretionary accounts independently managed by third-party financial institutions with sole and exclusive authority over all investment decisions.”

Sources: OGE Form 278-T, Donald J. Trump, certified May 13, 2026 · CNBC (May 15, 2026) · Fortune (May 18, 2026) · AP (May 19, 2026) · NOTUS (May 14, 2026)

He praised 21 companies on Truth Social within a week of his account buying their stock, CNN found

44 purchases in 21 companies (CNN analysis)

CNN compared Trump’s Truth Social posts with the trades in his 2025 disclosure and found at least 44 stock purchases in 21 companies made within a week before he posted something complimentary about the company, its executives or its products. Examples: $200,000 to $500,000 of Nvidia bought days before an April 15, 2025 post promising the company that permits would be “expedited,” and $500,000 to $1 million of Tesla bought on July 23, 2025, a day before a post saying he wanted Elon Musk’s companies to “THRIVE.” CNN said there is no evidence he posted to lift his portfolio, that most trades were not followed by related posts, that it is unclear he knew of the purchases, and that 17 purchases were followed by negative posts.

Their response: White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly: “President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public” and “There are no conflicts of interest.” Trump Organization: “Neither President Trump, his family, nor The Trump Organization plays any role in selecting, directing, or approving specific investments.”

Sources: CNN (July 16, 2026) · OGE Form 278e annual report for 2025, Donald J. Trump (received June 29, 2026)

His account bought Nvidia stock a week before the Commerce Department cleared its chip sales to China

Up to $6M of Nvidia trades in the quarter (AP count)

Trump’s filing shows a purchase of $500,001 to $1 million of Nvidia stock on January 6, 2026; NOTUS reported that the Commerce Department formally approved sales of some Nvidia chips to China a week later, and that the account bought $50,000 to $100,000 of AMD the same day, a week before AMD received the same authorization. On February 10 the account bought another $1 million to $5 million of Nvidia, a week before the company announced a large chip deal with Meta. The AP counted as much as $6 million of Nvidia trades in the quarter and noted that Trump had approved the chips for sale to China the previous year, so the direction of policy was already public. The trades and the approvals are documented; that anyone handling the account knew the timing in advance is not established.

Their response: White House spokesman Davis Ingle to CNBC: “There are no conflicts of interest.” Trump Organization to NOTUS: “Trades are executed and portfolios are balanced through automated investment processes and systems administered by those institutions.” NOTUS added that the company said the family receives no notice of trading activity.

Sources: OGE Form 278-T, Donald J. Trump, certified May 13, 2026 · NOTUS (May 14, 2026) · CNBC (May 15, 2026) · AP (May 19, 2026) · PBS News Hour (May 28, 2026)

His account bought up to $5 million of Taser maker Axon two weeks before ICE sought $220 million in Tasers

$1M to $5M purchase; $220M ICE notice

Trump’s filing shows a purchase of $1 million to $5 million of Axon Enterprise stock on February 10, 2026. On February 24, Immigration and Customs Enforcement posted a notice seeking about 17,800 Tasers over five years, valued at $220 million; procurement and policing experts told CNBC the specifications appeared to match only Axon products, and the Independent, citing CNBC’s analysis, said the shares rose more than 34% in the following week. CNBC found no evidence that Trump knew of the procurement, that contracting officials knew of his purchase, or that Axon knew he was a shareholder. As of late June 2026 the notice was a request for information and no contract had been awarded.

Their response: White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly: “There are no conflicts of interest.” To the Independent: “This is the same, tired narrative that Democrats have pushed against President Trump, his family, and his administration for a decade.” ICE: “ICE has not yet made or finalized a contract award.”

Sources: OGE Form 278-T, Donald J. Trump, certified May 13, 2026 · CNBC (June 29, 2026) · The Independent (July 2, 2026) · NOTUS (May 14, 2026)

His account bought Intel stock four days before he announced a government stake in the company

$250,001 to $500,000 purchase (his filing)

Trump’s annual disclosure lists a purchase of $250,001 to $500,000 of Intel stock on August 18, 2025. On August 22 he announced that the government would take an equity stake of nearly $9 billion in Intel; the New Republic reported that the shares rose 6% on the announcement. It was the largest of about 30 Intel purchases the account made during 2025, and one of roughly 300 transactions on that date. The purchase and the announcement are documented; the filing does not show who chose the trade and no evidence has been published that Trump directed it.

Their response: No response specific to the Intel purchase was found. White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly on the 2025 trades generally: “There are no conflicts of interest.” Trump, July 1, 2026: “I don’t get involved in my personal - we have funds that run my money.”

Sources: OGE Form 278e annual report for 2025, Donald J. Trump (received June 29, 2026) · The New Republic (July 2026) · CNBC (July 2, 2026)

On the day he announced talks with Iran, his account bought oil and defense stocks

Purchases of $1,001 to $100,000 each that day (his filing)

On March 23, 2026 Trump posted that the United States and Iran had held “very good and productive conversations” and put off threatened strikes; oil fell about 11% and stocks rose. His filing shows that on the same day his account bought oil companies including Chevron and Exxon Mobil and the military suppliers Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, Fortune reported. The individual purchases that day were modest, from $1,001 to $100,000 each. Fortune found that through the first weeks of the war the account moved into gold, Treasuries and foreign stocks while Trump was saying the conflict would end “soon.” The filing gives dates but not times and does not show who chose the trades.

Their response: Trump Organization to Fortune: outside institutions have “sole and exclusive authority over all investment decisions,” trades run through “automated investment processes and systems administered by those institutions,” and neither Trump, his family, nor the company “plays any role in selecting, directing, or approving specific investments.”

Sources: OGE Form 278-T, Donald J. Trump, certified May 13, 2026 · Fortune (May 18, 2026) · PBS News Hour (May 28, 2026) · AP (May 19, 2026)

He bought more than $100 million in bonds in seven months, including debt of companies his policies affect

$100M+ in bond purchases, Jan. to Aug. 2025 (CNBC tally)

A filing dated August 12, 2025 listed 690 transactions since the inauguration; CNBC calculated the purchases at a minimum of $100 million, counting the low end of each reported range. Alongside municipal, school-district and utility bonds, he bought corporate debt of T-Mobile, UnitedHealth and Home Depot ($500,000 to $1 million each, in early February 2025) and of Meta ($250,000 to $500,000). CNBC noted that some of the issuers were directly affected by his policies or business dealings. Buying bonds is legal for a president, who is exempt from some of the conflict-of-interest rules that apply to other federal officials, CNBC noted.

Their response: CNBC: “The White House did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment.”

Sources: CNBC (August 20, 2025)

He bought Netflix and Warner Bros. bonds after saying he would be involved in reviewing their merger

$1M+ in the two companies’ bonds (Washington Post)

Netflix and Warner Bros. Discovery announced an $82.7 billion deal on December 5, 2025. The Washington Post reported on January 16, 2026 that Trump bought more than $1 million of the two companies’ corporate bonds in the following weeks, days after saying he would be “involved” in deciding whether to approve the merger. Paramount Skydance later prevailed, and the Independent reported in July 2026 that the Justice Department had cleared its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Their response: The White House has said generally that Trump’s assets are “held in fully discretionary accounts managed by independent third-party financial institutions.”

Sources: Washington Post (January 16, 2026) · Deadline (December 5, 2025) · The Independent (July 2, 2026)

White House, Trump Organization and Trump gave three different accounts of who controls his trades

After the 2026 filings the White House said Trump’s assets are in a trust “managed by his children”; the Trump Organization said outside institutions have “sole and exclusive authority over all investment decisions” and the family gets no advance notice; asked about the difference, the White House spokesman told Fortune to “defer to Trump Org.” In a CNBC interview on July 2, 2026 Trump said: “My son Eric handles it. I don’t talk to him about things such as this. I think I’d be allowed to.” The assets sit in a revocable trust with Donald Trump Jr. as a trustee, not a blind trust, so Trump can see his holdings. In the same interview he said that because of the presidency’s reach, if his children “buy an energy efficient truck, they have inside information.”

Their response: Trump to CNBC, on his crypto income: “I could know about it. I didn’t. I mean, there’s nothing illegal, there’s nothing wrong with it.” And: “I tell my kids, stay away from as much as you can stay away from, but they also have a life.”

Sources: ABC News (July 3, 2026) · Fortune (May 18, 2026) · CNN (July 16, 2026) · CNBC (May 15, 2026)

His own ethics filings record late fees for stock trades not reported within the 45-day deadline

$200 late fee (Washington Post)

Federal law requires the president to report securities trades over $1,000 within 45 days. The Washington Post reported on May 15, 2026 that Trump was months late disclosing tens of millions of dollars in trades, including purchases and sales of Microsoft and Amazon stock, and was fined $200. His annual report for 2025, received by the ethics office on June 29, 2026, carries the reviewing official’s note: “The filer paid late filing fees related to transactions not previously reported on 278-Ts.” That report lists more than 21,000 transactions for 2025, while the periodic reports made public during 2025 had shown almost exclusively bond purchases, according to Fortune.

Their response: No response on the late filings was found. On the trades generally, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told CNN that Trump’s assets are “held in fully discretionary accounts managed by independent third-party financial institutions.”

Sources: OGE Form 278e annual report for 2025, Donald J. Trump (received June 29, 2026) · OGE Form 278-T, Donald J. Trump, certified May 13, 2026 · Washington Post (May 15, 2026) · CNN (July 16, 2026) · Fortune (May 18, 2026)

Options bought minutes before the tariff pause rose tenfold; the buyers were never identified

Calls bought for $2.1M, worth $21.4M on paper (Reuters data)

About 18 minutes before Trump’s April 9, 2025 post pausing most tariffs, some 5,105 call options on the main S&P 500 fund traded for about $2.14 million; after the market jumped 9.5% they were worth about $21.44 million on paper, Reuters reported from Trade Alert data. A second block bought for $624,000 was worth about $10 million by the close. Six Democratic senators asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate whether insiders traded ahead of the pause; the agency declined to comment then and again when the BBC asked in April 2026, and no finding has been made public. This is unusual volume alone: Reuters could not determine whether one trader or several were involved, and a Cboe executive said there was “no way to know” whether the timing was luck.

Their response: White House spokesman Kush Desai did not address manipulation directly, Reuters reported; he said it was the president’s responsibility to reassure markets in the “face of nonstop media fearmongering.” Cboe’s Henry Schwartz: “There’s no way to know if that buyer at that moment just had lucky timing (or not).”

Sources: Reuters (April 10, 2025) · BBC News (April 20, 2026) · Global News (April 2025) · Time (April 9, 2025)

Oil bets worth hundreds of millions were placed minutes before his Iran announcements; traders unidentified

$950M oil bet on April 7 (Reuters); $580M on March 23 (FT)

On March 23, 2026, about 15 minutes before Trump posted that he was pausing strikes on Iranian power plants, roughly $580 million in oil futures changed hands in a sudden burst, the Financial Times reported; the BBC’s review of exchange data found the same spike, and oil fell more than 10% after the post. On April 7, traders placed about $950 million in bets on falling oil hours before the ceasefire was announced, according to Reuters. This is unusual volume with no trader identified. Reuters reported on April 15 that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission was examining both episodes and had asked exchanges for the identities behind the trades; no finding has been made public.

Their response: White House spokesman Kush Desai: “All federal employees are subject to government ethics guidelines that prohibit the use of nonpublic information for financial benefit. However, any implication that Administration officials are engaged in such activity without evidence is baseless and irresponsible reporting.” CFTC Chairman Michael Selig: “we will find you, and you will face the full force of the law.”

Sources: Reuters (April 15, 2026) · BBC News (March 24, 2026) · BBC News (April 20, 2026) · CNBC (April 10, 2026) · The Guardian (April 18, 2026)

New accounts won millions betting on the timing of Iran strikes hours before they happened

$2.4M won by nine linked accounts (Bubblemaps)

The night before the United States and Israel struck Iran on February 28, 2026, about 150 Polymarket accounts bet a combined $855,000 that a strike would come the next day, and 16 of them made more than $100,000 each, according to a New York Times analysis cited by the Guardian. The analytics firm Bubblemaps later identified nine linked accounts that won more than $2.4 million on more than 80 bets on U.S. military actions with a 98% success rate. A Public Citizen complaint to the regulator cites one account, “Magamyman,” that made $553,000 betting on Ayatollah Khamenei’s removal shortly before he was killed. No trader has been publicly identified and nothing published ties the accounts to U.S. officials; the bets were on Polymarket’s offshore site, where accounts are anonymous.

Their response: White House spokesman Davis Ingle: “Any implication that administration officials are engaged in such activity without evidence is baseless and irresponsible reporting.” Polymarket to 60 Minutes: “insider trading is not welcome on Polymarket, and those who attempt it will be identified.”

Sources: The Guardian (April 18, 2026) · CBS News / 60 Minutes (May 17, 2026) · CNN (March 24, 2026) · BBC News (April 20, 2026) · CNBC (April 10, 2026)

Single-purpose accounts cashed in on the Fed chair pick and the shutdown’s end, a Guardian analysis found

$2.17M profit across a dozen-plus accounts (Guardian analysis)

The Guardian’s review of blockchain data, published January 30, 2026, found a Polymarket account created in November 2025 that bet only on Trump naming Kevin Warsh to chair the Federal Reserve, kept betting when the odds fell to 7%, and stood to make $142,000 when Trump announced Warsh that day. Another new account made $17,000 on the timing of the government shutdown, mostly from a bet placed the night before the House passed the funding bill, and five new accounts made $154,000 betting on a Trump-Zelensky meeting a day before it was announced. In all the paper identified more than a dozen such accounts with about $2.17 million in profit. None of the traders is identified, and the paper allowed that innocent explanations are “conceivable” though unlikely.

Their response: No response from Polymarket or the White House appears in the article. Polymarket’s chief executive, Shayne Coplan, has said it is “super cool” that the platform “creates this financial incentive for people to go and divulge the information to the market.” The company adopted rules against insider trading in March 2026.

Sources: The Guardian (January 30, 2026) · CNN (April 23, 2026)

A special forces soldier who took part in the Maduro raid was charged with betting on it for $409,000

$409,000 profit alleged in the indictment

An indictment unsealed on April 23, 2026 charges Master Sgt. Gannon Ken Van Dyke, who prosecutors say helped plan and carry out the January capture of Nicolas Maduro, with using classified information to bet about $33,000 on Polymarket that Maduro would be out of power, winning more than $409,000. Prosecutors say he placed 13 bets between December 27 and January 2, the last one hours before the raid, moved the money through a foreign crypto vault, and asked Polymarket to delete his account. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed a parallel civil case; it was the first U.S. criminal case over prediction-market bets. Van Dyke pleaded not guilty and the charges are unproven.

Their response: Polymarket: “When we identified a user trading on classified government information, we referred the matter to the DOJ & cooperated with their investigation. Insider trading has no place on Polymarket.” Trump, asked about the case: “That’s like Pete Rose betting on his own team.” No statement from a lawyer for Van Dyke was found.

Sources: CNN (April 23, 2026) · NBC News (April 24, 2026) · NPR (April 23, 2026) · CBS News / 60 Minutes (May 17, 2026)

Trump’s teleprompter operator bet on the words in his speeches and was ordered to pay $172,000

$172,539 ordered: profit plus penalty (CFTC)

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission found that Gabriel Perez, who has operated Trump’s teleprompter since 2016, used his advance access to presidential speeches between December 2025 and February 2026 to trade “mention” contracts on which words Trump would say, making $107,539. Under a settled order announced on August 21, 2026 he must give up the profit, pay a $65,000 penalty and accept a three-year trading ban. Kalshi flagged the trades and referred them to the regulator; the White House placed him on unpaid leave after ABC News reported the inquiry on July 16. CNN called it the first known case of a White House employee accused of insider trading on a prediction market.

Their response: Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump “believes it’s deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace.” White House spokesman Davis Ingle: “The White House has strict ethics guidelines that we expect all staffers and officials to follow.”

Sources: CFTC press release 9289-26 (August 21, 2026) · ABC News (July 16, 2026) · CNN (July 16, 2026)

Trump Media began selling trading firms the fastest access to his market-moving posts

Up to $100,000 a month per firm (Reuters)

On July 16, 2026 Trump Media and Technology Group announced “Truth API,” a paid feed that delivers posts from the ten most influential Truth Social accounts, including the president’s, to banks and trading firms faster than an ordinary user receives them; it launched on August 1. Reuters reported that the company had discussed charging up to $100,000 a month. A trust for Trump holds about 114.75 million shares, roughly 41% of the company, so he shares in revenue from firms paying to see his own announcements first. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff asked the SEC for a legal review; a securities defense lawyer told Reuters the arrangement “certainly does not seem fair” but that a platform can tier its distribution without violating securities law.

Their response: Trump Media spokeswoman Shannon Devine, quoted by Fortune: Truth API “offers customers the fastest way to ingest publicly available Truth Social data” and critics “must have invented a new theory of ‘insider trading’ based on publicly available information.” Interim chief executive Kevin McGurn: “Markets already move on Truth Social posts.”

Sources: Reuters (July 16, 2026) · CNBC (July 29, 2026) · Fortune (August 4, 2026)

A one-commissioner regulator sued nine states to shield prediction markets tied to Trump’s family

9 states sued by the CFTC (CNBC count, August 2026)

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, normally a five-member body, has been run since late 2025 by a single Trump appointee, Michael Selig, and by August 2026 had sued nine states that tried to restrict prediction markets, including Minnesota the day after it enacted a ban. Trump wrote in May 2026 that the agency must keep “exclusive authority” and that “We cannot have SCUM like Chris Christie, Letitia James, Tim Walz, and JB Pritzker setting the rules!” Donald Trump Jr. advises Kalshi and Polymarket and Trump’s media company announced its own market, Truth Predict; CNBC, citing the New York Times, reported that Trump Jr. told Republican state attorneys general in March 2026 not to fight the industry. A federal appeals court ruled against the platforms on August 28, 2026, splitting with another circuit and pointing the dispute toward the Supreme Court.

Their response: Selig: “States cannot circumvent the clear directive of Congress.” A representative for Trump Jr.: “Don does not interface with the federal government as part of his role with any company that he invests in or advises and has no influence or involvement with administration policies relating to prediction markets.” His spokesperson said he spoke to the attorneys general about prediction markets “for roughly a minute.”

Sources: CFTC press release 9220-26 (April 28, 2026) · The Guardian (May 27, 2026) · ABC News (May 20, 2026) · CNBC (August 28, 2026) · CNBC (August 27, 2026)

SEC enforcement chief quit after clashing with bosses over cases touching Trump’s circle, Reuters reported

Margaret Ryan resigned as director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s enforcement division in March 2026 after about six months. Reuters, citing three people familiar with the matter, reported that she had clashed with agency leaders over cases with ties to Trump and his family, and that she wanted to pursue fraud cases more aggressively but met resistance from Chairman Paul Atkins and other Republican appointees. The disputes included the settlement with Justin Sun, a major backer of the Trump family’s crypto venture, and talks to settle with Elon Musk. Reuters also reported that under this administration commissioners took back enforcement staff’s authority to open formal investigations on their own.

Their response: SEC spokesperson: “In every case, the Commission has faithfully applied the federal securities laws. Debate and discussion among our lawyers and other staff is common and encouraged.” Ryan declined to comment and her resignation email gave no reason; an SEC enforcement official told Reuters she ultimately supported the Sun settlement.

Sources: Reuters (March 23, 2026)

Gas-export founders who backed Trump each bought $12 million of shares days before a key federal license

About $12M each by two founders (SEC filings, via the Guardian)

The Guardian reported in December 2025 that Venture Global’s co-founders, Michael Sabel and Robert Pender, each bought just under 1.2 million shares, worth a little under $12 million apiece, between March 10 and 14, 2025, their only significant purchases since the company went public. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum had attended a company event on March 6, and on March 19 Wright granted the export license for its CP2 terminal, which the previous administration had paused. The company gave $1 million to Trump’s inauguration. The purchases were disclosed in SEC filings and came after the shares fell on weak results; that the founders knew the license was coming is an inference, and Sen. Jeff Merkley has called for an investigation.

Their response: Venture Global: the purchases “fully complied with SEC rules and regulations” and “The timing of these acquisitions had no connection to any meeting or regulatory action. Any suggestion otherwise is false.” Press secretary Karoline Leavitt: “The president has never engaged, and will never engage, in conflicts of interest.”

Sources: The Guardian (December 4, 2025) · The Guardian (December 10, 2025)

Trump attacked the one Republican senator who backed a stock-trading ban that reached the presidency

On July 30, 2025 a Senate committee advanced Sen. Josh Hawley’s bill to bar members of Congress, and future presidents and vice presidents, from trading stocks; Hawley had already moved the effective date so that it would not apply to Trump. Trump posted that day: “I don’t think real Republicans want to see their President, who has had unprecedented success, TARGETED, because of the ‘whims’ of a second-tier Senator named Josh Hawley!” In his 2026 State of the Union address he asked Congress to ensure members “cannot corruptly profit from using insider information.” As of July 2026, CNN reported, Congress was debating narrower bills that would cover lawmakers but not the president, and no ban had become law.

Their response: Trump, earlier the same day, on the Hawley bill: “This just happened, so I’ll take a look at it, but conceptually, I like it.” Hawley: “that effectively means that President Trump is excluded.”

Sources: CNN (July 30, 2025) · CNN (July 16, 2026) · NOTUS (May 14, 2026) · NOTUS (January 26, 2026)