Trump Buys Up to $750 Million in Stocks, Raising Conflict of Interest Questions

A financial disclosure filed May 14 shows President Donald Trump executed thousands of stock trades valued at up to $750 million in early 2026, purchasing shares in companies like Nvidia and Oracle while his administration made decisions affecting their industries.

"Donald Trump’s financial transactions, while staggering, are far from surprising," Donald K. Sherman, President of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, told Scripps News. "He consistently uses the power of the presidency to pad his bottom line."

The 113-page report from the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE) details over 3,700 transactions from January to March, a marked shift from the president's prior focus on bonds and index funds. Key purchases include between $1,000,001 and $5,000,000 of Nvidia stock on February 10 and millions in Oracle shares around the time the administration was helping the company secure a deal for TikTok’s U.S. operations.

The trades raise significant conflict of interest concerns, as the portfolio includes firms in sectors like AI, crypto, and defense that are directly regulated by the administration. The disclosures provide another opportunity for ethics watchdogs to scrutinize how the president's business interests and policy decisions may intersect, a recurring theme that has defined his time in office.

A Shift in Strategy

The filings show a clear pivot from a portfolio previously heavy in bonds to one aggressively picking individual corporate stocks. While Trump’s accounts purchased over $51 million in bonds in March, the new disclosures reveal a broad array of equity purchases in household names like Apple, Microsoft, and Meta alongside more sensitive sectors.

The timing of several trades has drawn particular scrutiny. In December, Trump issued an executive order for federal preemption of state AI regulations. In the following months, the disclosures show his funds bought stock in Nvidia, AMD, and other firms in the artificial intelligence industry. Similarly, his funds traded six-figure amounts of stock in Palantir, a major government contractor.

The ‘Crypto President’ Portfolio

The disclosure also shows Trump bought stock in several cryptocurrency-related firms, including Coinbase Global, MARA Holdings, and Strategy Inc. The investments align with his self-declared "Crypto President" moniker and a second term marked by crypto-friendly policies. His administration has replaced leadership at the Securities and Exchange Commission with industry-favorable officials and has pushed Congress to pass the industry’s regulatory wishlist.

The pattern of trading in companies and sectors with direct business before the U.S. government separates Trump from his predecessors, who have historically used blind trusts or divested from such holdings to avoid the appearance of conflicts. "Rather than avoiding transactions involving industries with business before his administration... Trump has prioritized serving himself at the expense of public trust once again," Sherman said.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.