Topline
President Donald Trump drew scrutiny Friday over millions of dollars of securities trades made in recent months involving companies his administration has also made deals with — though Trump’s son Eric said the trades were made by a blind trust.
Key Facts
The president made purchases ranging from $1 million to $5 million in tech giants such as Oracle, Microsoft, Nvidia, Meta, Amazon, Apple and Alphabet—all of which have inked government contracts or made high-profile commitments — according to financial disclosure forms.
Trump’s other large tech investments ranging between $1 million and $5 million included software company ServiceNow, semiconductor manufacturer Broadcom, software company Cadence Design Systems, Adobe, Motorola, Dell and Uber.
Defense companies including Palantir, Axon, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman were also listed in the disclosure, with Boeing receiving investments between $1 million and $5 million, in addition to two investments from the president ranging from $15,000 to $50,000.
Trump also purchased millions of dollars worth of securities in Comcast, Costco and manufacturing companies like Procter & Gamble and Jabil Inc.
Critics pointed out Trump’s purchase of Nvidia shares came shortly before the government cleared chip sales to certain Chinese firms.
The president also purchased hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of Palantir stock before he promoted the company in a Truth Social post, writing, “Palantir Technologies has proven to have great war fighting capabilities and equipment.”
Big Number
Between $220 million and $750 million. That is how much money’s worth of investments Trump made in the first quarter, according to Reuters.
Chief Critic
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., blasted Trump for his investment into Nvidia, the most valuable company in the world, and for bringing Nvidia chief Jensen Huang with him to a high-profile trip to China. Warren accused Trump of lobbying Chinese President Xi Jinping to purchase Nvidia chips. “The President’s corruption is a national security disaster,” she added.
Crucial Quote
Trump’s son, Eric, defended his father in a post on X responding directly to Warren. Eric Trump said his family’s assets are invested in a blind trust and that to “suggest that individual stocks are being bought or sold, at the discretion of any member of the Trump family, would be a lie and blatantly false.” The president’s son then said investing in index funds “will get some exposure to Nvidia – as well as a 1,000 other U.S. companies large- and mid-cap stocks.”
Key Background
The financial disclosure forms show security trades made between January and March, though the amounts shown for each transaction are ranges, not specific numbers, and it is not disclosed who exactly made the transactions.
Forbes Valuation
Trump’s net worth reached $6.2 billion on Friday, according to Forbes estimates. The president returned to the Forbes 400 list of wealthiest Americans in 2024, when his net worth surged to $4.3 billion mostly due to his large stake in Trump Media & Technology Group.
Further Reading
Eric Trump Defends President’s Stock Trades Of Nvidia, Palantir, Meta And More (Forbes)
