"Suspicious Timing?"...Trump Traded Stocks After Praising Wartime Capabilities

Palantir and Nvidia Trades Followed by "Boosting" Remarks
Trump Representatives Counter: "Managed Independently by External Financial Institutions"

U.S. President Donald Trump has come under scrutiny for potential conflicts of interest and market manipulation following the public disclosure of thousands of large-scale securities transactions he made in the first quarter of this year.

According to CNBC and other foreign media outlets on May 15 (local time), citing the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE), President Trump conducted at least 3,600 securities trades between January and March this year. The total value of these trades is estimated to be between approximately $220 million and $750 million (about 320 billion to 1.1 trillion won).

The disclosed asset report includes details of securities transactions related to major U.S. companies such as Nvidia, Oracle, Boeing, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon. However, the report only lists transaction amounts as ranges and does not specify whether the assets traded were stocks, corporate bonds, or other types of securities.

AFP Yonhap News

In particular, transactions involving Palantir, an artificial intelligence (AI) defense contractor, have become a focus of controversy. According to CNBC and others, President Trump bought and sold Palantir shares multiple times in the first quarter of this year. He reportedly sold up to $5 million worth of shares on February 10, then repurchased shares in several transactions in March.

President Trump publicly praised Palantir through his social networking service, Truth Social, stating, "Palantir has demonstrated tremendous warfighting capabilities." At the time, Palantir was drawing attention for its involvement in military operations related to Iran.

These revelations have led some to raise suspicions that President Trump may have used government policy, national security issues, or undisclosed information to influence his personal asset transactions. Controversy further intensified when it became known that large-scale purchases of Nvidia stock took place just before the announcement of approval for exports to China.

However, President Trump's representatives countered that all transactions were conducted automatically under the independent management of external financial institutions. The Trump Organization, the holding company overseeing President Trump’s businesses and investments, said in a statement, "Neither President Trump, his family, nor the company is involved in the selection or approval process for specific investments," adding, "Investment decisions are made at the discretion of third-party financial institutions."

Meanwhile, according to U.S. business magazine Forbes, President Trump’s personal assets are estimated at approximately $6.5 billion (about 10 trillion won) as of this year. While U.S. presidents are required to disclose asset transactions above a certain threshold, blind trusts and the divestment of held assets are known to be customary rather than legal obligations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.