President Donald Trump posted an AI-generated picture over the weekend displaying himself day buying and selling Intel Corp. (INTC) shares from $20 to $95, alongside a declare that he has made “A whole bunch of Billions of {Dollars} on Shares, and lots of different kind Holdings, for the usA., not myself.”
The picture, shared Sunday on Fact Social, depicts Trump on the Resolute Desk surrounded by buying and selling screens. One monitor reads “BOUGHT: INTEL $20” whereas one other exhibits “NOW $95.” The submit marks the second time the president has circulated this fashion of graphic, following an almost equivalent picture final September that confirmed Intel climbing from $20 to $30 after the federal government acquired a 9.9% stake within the chipmaker.
This time, the figures hew carefully to actuality. Intel closed at $95.80 on September 4 and touched $95.89 two days later, practically quadrupling from its 52-week low of $24.05. The inventory is up 143.27% up to now this yr and 291.34% over the previous twelve months.
The administration bought 433.3 million Intel shares at $20.47 apiece in August 2025, an $8.9 billion funding made at a reduction to the then-market value. That place is now value a number of occasions its authentic worth on paper.
A Sample of Posts Earlier than Good points
The celebratory submit suits a broader sample that has drawn scrutiny from ethics watchdogs. A CNN investigation, which cross-referenced the greater than 21,000 inventory transactions listed in Trump’s 2025 annual monetary disclosure towards his Fact Social feed, discovered at the least 44 inventory purchases throughout 21 completely different firms within the week earlier than he posted favorable messages about them, alongside a smaller reverse sample of 17 purchases throughout eight firms shortly earlier than he posted important messages. Ethics filings with the U.S. Workplace of Authorities Ethics present accounts tied to the president constructed positions in Intel and Dell Applied sciences (DELL) earlier than he publicly praised each firms. Dell shares have climbed greater than 300% this yr.
The same submit about SpaceX in August attracted comparable consideration, although later knowledge indicated that inventory’s achieve had begun in premarket buying and selling earlier than Trump posted, undercutting any direct causal hyperlink.
Presidents aren’t barred from buying and selling shares whereas in workplace, not like most different federal officers. Trump has additionally not positioned his property in a blind belief, which means he can see what his managers purchase or promote. Ethics specialists say that association leaves room for conflicts that different officers don’t face.
Legislative Pushback
Republican Senator Josh Hawley joined Democrats final yr on a invoice to ban each congressional and presidential inventory buying and selling. Trump pushed again arduous, framing the hassle as an assault from a junior senator fairly than a real ethics repair.
Consultant Eugene Vindman, a Virginia Democrat, has launched H.R. 10199, laws recognized as the “Promote Your Shares or Step Down Act,” that might prohibit the president, vp, and members of Congress from buying and selling shares, digital property, and prediction market contracts completely.
| Invoice | Sponsor(s) | Covers the president | Standing (Sept 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cease Insider Trading Act | Home Republicans | No | Handed Home 232-198, July 2026 |
| Bipartisan Senate invoice | Sens. Hawley, Ossoff, Merkley, Peters | Congress solely | Superior from committee in 2025; no ground vote |
| Promote Your Shares or Step Down Act (H.R. 10199) | Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.) | Sure | Launched Sept 3, 2026; no vote scheduled |
The president defended his market commentary final week amid the Iran battle, telling reporters he had warned his workplace greater than a yr in the past that confronting Iran would damage shares, however that the market has as a substitute stored “hitting new information daily.” He added: “Consider it or not, the inventory market will go up.”
Crypto Income Provides to Scrutiny
Trump’s monetary disclosure exhibits his firms generated greater than $1.4 billion from crypto ventures in 2025, together with over $550 million from World Liberty Monetary token gross sales and greater than $635 million from Official Trump memecoin royalties.
| 2025 revenue supply | Quantity | Be aware |
|---|---|---|
| World Liberty Monetary token gross sales | $550 million+ | ~9x 2024 submitting ($57 million+) |
| Sale of pursuits within the WLF enterprise | $260 million | |
| CIC Digital memecoin royalties | $635 million+ | Largely Celebration Cash licensing |
| Stablecoin Holdco fairness sale | $196 million | |
| Digital pockets holdings | $60 million+ | Held in CIC Digital wallets |
| Complete crypto revenue | $1.4 billion+ | Largest 2025 revenue supply; complete revenue topped $2 billion |
That very same evaluation discovered that the reverse sample is uncommon, nevertheless. Many of the hundreds of disclosed trades attributed to Trump had been by no means adopted by a associated Fact Social submit, and there’s no direct proof tying the posts to his buying and selling selections.
Intel shares closed 4.51% greater on Friday at $95.80 and climbed 0.09% in prolonged buying and selling. Benzinga Edge Rankings present the inventory has a Momentum rating within the 98th percentile, with a adverse value pattern within the brief and medium time period however a constructive long-term pattern.
