Trump’s Truth Social post urging Americans to “BE COOL” and “BUY” before the 90-day tariff pause announcement has raised serious questions about market influence and ethics.
April 10, 2025: What Happened?
Just hours before US President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for most countries (excluding China), he took to his platform, Truth Social, and posted:
“BE COOL! Everything is going to work out well. The USA will be bigger and better than ever before!”
“THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!” — DJT
Shortly after, the S&P 500 closed 9.5% higher, the Nasdaq jumped 12.2%, and the Dow surged over 2,500 points — making it one of the best trading days in modern history.
Also Read: Markets Soar as Trump Pauses Tariffs: S&P 500 Logs 3rd Best Day Since WWII
NEW TRUTH SOCIAL FROM PRESIDENT TRUMP:
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 9, 2025
🇨🇳125% TARIFF ON CHINA
🌎90-DAY PAUSE & LOWERED 10% RECIPROCAL TARIFF FOR OTHER COUNTRIES
🚨EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY pic.twitter.com/Gt5Bd6276m
🧠 Was That a Market Tip-Off?
Experts are now questioning whether Trump’s seemingly casual “buy” advice was a preemptive hint, given the massive gains that followed his tariff pause announcement.
Also Read: Stock Market Holiday Today on Mahavir Jayanti 2025: No Trading on NSE and BSE
📢 Former White House Ethics Lawyer Richard Painter said:
“He’s loving this — this control over markets — but he better be careful. The people who bought when they saw that post made a lot of money.”
Painter added that securities laws prohibit using insider information or encouraging others to profit from it. He stopped short of calling it illegal but warned of its highly unethical nature.
📚 What Ethics Experts Are Saying
Kathleen Clark, professor at Washington University School of Law, noted:
“He’s sending the message that he can manipulate the market with impunity… It’s like watching a public influencer experiment — ‘Watch this space for future stock tips.’”
She added that such behavior would have been investigated in other administrations, but likely won’t trigger any probe unless market regulators step in — which appears unlikely under current political conditions.
📈 Market Analysts: Relief Rally or Manipulation?
Ryan Nauman from Zephyr told Bloomberg:
“It’s been a roller-coaster ride… What markets crave is certainty — and this announcement, even if temporary, brought that momentary sigh of relief.”
But some traders are wary that Trump’s volatility could become a pattern of market manipulation, especially if his posts continue to coincide with major policy decisions.
🧾 Also Noteworthy:
Trump signed the post with “DJT” — which also happens to be the stock symbol for Trump Media and Technology Group, the parent of Truth Social, further blurring lines between public office and private interests.
🏷️ Tags:
Trump Stock Tip, Truth Social Market Impact, DJT Stock Symbol, S&P 500 Surge, US-China Tariff War, Ethics in Finance, Richard Painter Trump, Kathleen Clark Trump Post, Nasdaq Rally 2025, Market Manipulation Debate