Donald Trump pauses tariffs; here's the post that could land him in trouble for insider trading

US president Donald Trump made a 90-day tariff hold on dozens of countries, but his social media post prior to the announcement has caused fears of potential insider trading. A few hours before the news about tariffs was revealed, Trump posted on his Truth Social account a message that appeared to forecast an upswing in stocks, an action that now might be open to investigation.

Timing of Donald Trump’s Posts Raises Concerns

On Wednesday, Trump posted on his social media site Truth Social, "THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!" His post was written only three hours before he made his announcement regarding the tariff delay, saying that "more than 75 countries" had called him to negotiate and that the US would also roll out a "substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff," according to Latin Times.



But, a tariff pause would not be applicable to China as Trump raised tariffs on China to 125% after the country imposed 84% tariffs on the United States, according to the report.

The timing of the US president's posts was noticed by social media users, who quickly started speculating whether there was a chance of insider trading, as per the report.

Stock Market Surge After Tariff Pause Announcement

While, within minutes of the tariff halt announcement, the stock market jumped up immediately. The S&P 500 rose more than 5%, and the Nasdaq 100 rose almost 8%, after a period of high market volatility, according to Latin Times. Before the tariffs were paused, the stock market had been unstable, with plunges over the last several days leading economists to worry about a possible recession, reported Latin Times.

Concerns Over Potential Insider Trading

As Trump's post appeared to send stocks sharply in the opposite direction, it led some to wonder if there was some correlation between the president's Truth Social message and the sudden surge of the market, as per the report.


One social media platform X user noted, "Trump frontran his own announcement to pause tariffs by saying it's a 'GREAT TIME TO BUY!' 3 hours before huge news for stocks hit," adding, "This is levels of insanity we've never seen before," quoted Latin Times. Another person asked, "I want to know what trades were made by members of the Trump Administration before these unhinged tariff moves?" as quoted in the report.

Many users online were questioning if Democrats would investigate the matter, as per Latin Times. Other social media users were concerned about the uncertain, on-and-off pattern of Trump imposing and pausing tariffs, reported Latin Times.


A person claimed, "Trump has been f--king with the markets so his wealthy friends could buy low. His behaviour should be investigated as insider trading," as quoted in the report. Another user wrote, "If tariffs are truly the answer, why would he be pausing them?" quoted Latin Times.

FAQs

What did Trump post before announcing about the tariff pause?
The US president wrote, "THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!" on his social media site Truth Social. This was just three hours before announcing the 90-day tariff pause.

Why is Trump’s post raising concerns?
The timing of Trump’s post, which predicted a surge in stocks, followed by the market’s sharp rise, has led some to suspect insider trading.