In a brief tweet posted on his “Truth Social” platform, US President Donald Trump wrote, “This is the time to buy !!! DJT.”
The sentence was short, but it is enough to raise an earthquake in the financial markets, especially since it preceded a sudden announcement of a temporary suspension of new customs duties for 90 days.
Was it just a coincidence? Or does it go beyond this towards deliberate suspicions?
Peripheral timing and huge gains
The tweet was published on Wednesday morning, and as evening, Trump announced the suspension of fees on most countries (except China).
But the markets did not wait long, lost:
- The Standard & Poor’s 500 index jumped by 9%
- While the Nasdak technical index rose by 12%, and the global markets followed them:
- Japanese Nikai 225 increased by 9%
- British Fotsi 100 by 4% in early Thursday’s trading
It is noteworthy that Trump signed the tweet in the first letters of his name DJT, which is not customary in his publications, but these letters in particular are the “Trump Media and Technology Company”, which owns the “Truth Social” platform.
Was it a hidden message?
The Guardian report indicated that the company’s shares jumped by 22% in the same day, which prompted many to ask a project question: Was the tweet to influence the market in a deliberate manner?
Political criticism and invitations for investigation
No doubts have turned into political move. Democratic lawmakers and ethics have called for an official investigation.
A joint message from Senatorine Adam Chef and Robin Galligo arrived at the White House calling for “an urgent investigation into the possibility of using internal information”, in a move that some described as an attempt to open a possible corruption file at the highest executive authority.
Senator Chris Murphy wrote on the “X” platform: “An internal trading scandal is looming on the horizon … Trump’s tweet at 9:30 am indicates his intention to give his followers a financial advantage through special information.”
As for Elizabeth Warren, she described what happened as “clear corruption”, while Alexandria Okasio Cortez demanded to reveal all the shares that Congress bought in the last 24 hours, and commented by saying: “I heard exciting conversations in Congress. We will discover some things soon. It is time to ban internal trading.”
Legal warns … unethical behavior
Interestingly, the criticisms were not limited to Trump’s political opponents. Richard Pinter, the former ethical adviser to the George Bush Administration, told NPR: “It is not possible to allow presidents or senior officials to comment on the market and influence them while they are making decisive political decisions.”
“If anyone from the Bush administration published a similar post, it would be separated on the same day,” he added.
“This scenario may expose the president to accusations of being involved in manipulating the market,” Pinter said.
Pinter explained that the accident may lead to investigations “about who knew what and when before Trump announced that he would postpone customs duties on all countries except China.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice refused to comment, and the US Securities and Exchange Commission did not respond immediately to the request for comment, according to NBC News.
This statement opens the door again to a long discussion on the boundaries of the moral responsibility of executives, and whether the current laws are sufficient to prevent the exploitation of economic influence.
Trump justifies and the White House tries to contain the crisis
When asked on Wednesday evening about the timing of the tweet, Trump simply said, “I was thinking about it in the past few days.”
But sources from inside the White House described the decision as part of a pre -studied strategy, and spokeswoman Caroline Levitt confirmed that what happened is within the framework of the “art of the deal.”
Another suspicious activity in Congress
Amid the controversy, Republican Representative Marguri Taylor Green revealed that she purchased shares in “Apple” and “Amazon” on the third and fourth of April, that is, after Trump announced his customs definitions.
According to the Guardian, the shares of “Amazon” increased by 12% and “Apple” by 15% after hanging the fees.
Did these purchases coincide with prior information? A less important question.
While public opinion watches what investigations may reveal, Trump’s tweet “now buy” a symbol of a greater crisis related to the overlapping of money, politics and personal interests.
The tweet raised questions not only to manipulate the market, but whether the American markets are now being managed by individual signals from the president himself.
And if there is an internal circulation, the issue may turn from “political debate” to the integrity crisis that shakes the pillars of the American state.
