President Donald Trump has promoted more than 20 companies, including Nvidia, Tesla and Apple, within days of purchasing their shares, according to a CNN investigation.
Summary
- CNN linked Trump’s company promotions to stock purchases made just days earlier.
- Trump bought up to $500,000 in Nvidia stock before announcing faster AI permissions.
- The findings have increased pressure to include ethics rules in the CLARITY Act.
CNN found that several Truth Social posts announced or praised government actions that could benefit companies held in Trump’s investment accounts. The report has renewed questions about whether his financial interests conflict with decisions made by his administration.
Among the cases examined, CNN pointed to a 2025 post in which Trump announced that his administration would expedite the permits Nvidia and similar companies need to build AI supercomputers in the United States.
Financial records reviewed by CNN showed that Trump had purchased between $200,000 and $500,000 in Nvidia stock several days before publishing the post. The investigation also linked the timing of his purchases to subsequent public comments involving Tesla, Apple and other major companies.
CNN reported no evidence that Trump personally ordered the transactions or made related government decisions to increase the value of his holdings. However, the outlet reported that Trump has not placed his assets in a blind trust, leaving open the possibility that he may know what his investment managers are buying or selling.
White House denies that Trump controls the exchanges
In response to the report, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said Trump does not manage the accounts involved in the transactions. According to Kelly, your assets “are held in entirely discretionary accounts managed by independent, third-party financial institutions.”
Trump has also previously said that professional fund managers control his investments, according to a previous report by crypto.news. His defense separates the timing of the transactions from his own shares, although CNN noted that the agreement does not meet the requirements of a blind trust.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro criticized the transactions after CNN published its findings. In X, the Democratic lawmaker described the situation as: “Profits for him and his billionaire friends, higher prices for you.”
Neither the White House response cited by CNN nor Trump’s earlier comments addressed all of the companies identified by the investigation. CNN also reported no findings that the trades violated federal securities law.
Stock scrutiny adds pressure to CLARITY talks
Questions have arisen about Trump’s stock holdings as lawmakers debate whether the CLARITY Act should restrict top government officials from participating in the crypto industry. An ethics provision remains a key point of disagreement in efforts to secure bipartisan support for the market structure bill, according to the report.
Trump’s annual financial disclosure for 2025 has added to the dispute by showing that he received up to 1.4 billion dollars of activities related to cryptocurrencies. Critics in Congress have cited those gains while asking for rules That would limit the president’s ability to profit from digital assets during his term.
When previously asked about his crypto income, Trump He denied knowing the amount had been won, according to CNN. He also argued that receiving income would not be illegal even if he knew it.
The stock investigation is expected to follow Trump until his meeting with senators. about the CLARITY Law. Lawmakers have yet to decide whether the bill will include conflict-of-interest restrictions covering the president and other top officials.
