Trump publicly praised companies within days of buying their stocks

According to the president’s periodic transaction report, on March 11, Trump bought between $15,000 and $50,000 of Thermo Fisher Scientific stock. That very day, Trump took a tour of a Thermo Fisher manufacturing facility in Reading, Ohio, where he heaped praise upon the biotechnology firm in a video posted by the White House.

“It’s a great honor being here. It’s a great company,” Trump said at the March 11 site visit, appearing alongside Thermo Fisher CEO Marc Casper.

The visit celebrated Thermo Fisher’s $2 billion commitment to expanding its American manufacturing footprint, as part of a “reshoring” push aimed at bringing production opportunities back to the United States.

In the video, Trump asked another Thermo Fisher executive to share “some great information about this incredible company.” The executive mentioned that Thermo Fisher produces pharmaceutical components on behalf of Merck at the Ohio factory. Trump then encouraged other outside drug companies to contract with Thermo Fisher in order to support more American jobs, adding that some manufacturers were already building their own U.S. plants.

“But in the meantime, they can get here a lot faster by using this great company — and other companies like this — but this great company,” Trump said.

Trump also acquired in the range of $50,000 to $115,000 of Thermo Fisher stock on Feb. 12, about a month before the site tour, followed by another pre-visit buy on March 2 valued between $15,000 and $50,000.

Apple: $250,000-$500,000 buy and rally name-drop

Also on March 11, Trump purchased between $250,000 and $500,000 of Apple stock. That afternoon, after touring the Thermo Fisher facility, Trump trekked to Hebron, Kentucky, and delivered a speech in which he singled out Apple for praise.

“Apple, a great company, $2.5 billion to manufacture 100% of the glass for iPhones and Apple Watches right here in [Corning’s] Kentucky factories,” Trump said at a rally held inside a packaging facility owned by Verst Logistics, an unrelated Kentucky-based supply chain partner with no known partnership or business relationship to Apple.

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“Apple spending $650 billion on new plants all over the United States, think of that,” Trump lauded. “Who the hell else could have done this? Nobody else. I say it kiddingly, but I’m actually not kidding. Nobody else could.”

During that March 11 rally, Trump worked in praise for Thermo Fisher too, telling the crowd, “I just came from Thermo Fisher Scientific in Reading, Ohio, right across the way, the great American company that’s investing $2 billion in domestic manufacturing.”

Trump accumulated as much as $7.2 million worth of Apple stock throughout March, spanning purchases on March 2, March 11, March 12, March 17, March 23, and March 25.

Micron: $50,000-$100,000 purchase and Fox News mention

On March 25, Trump purchased between $50,000 and $100,000 in Micron Technology stock.

The next day, Trump called in to The Five, a Fox News talk show, mentioning in the March 26 phone interview that he met with Micron’s top executive and acknowledged the semiconductor manufacturing company’s popularity among consumers.

“I just left the head of Micron,” Trump said on-air. “It’s one of the hottest companies.”

Trump built up a substantial position in Micron stock between March 2 and March 25, amassing as much as $530,000 worth over six total transactions.

Dell: $1 million-$5 million buy and multiple speech shoutouts

There was also noticeable proximity between Trump’s Feb. 10 purchase of Dell Technologies stock, worth anywhere from $1 million to $5 million, and his public praise of the technology company nine days later.

During Feb. 19 remarks on the economy at a rally in Rome, Georgia, Trump said Dell made “great products,” going so far as to tell the audience to purchase their own Dell device.

“Go out and buy a Dell computer,” Trump prodded.

There, Trump also praised Dell CEO Michael Dell and his wife, Susan, as “phenomenal people” for financially supporting Trump Accounts, a tax-advantaged savings tool intended to help American newborns get a head start on building for their financial future. Michael and Susan Dell previously gifted $6.25 billion to “supercharge” the program.

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“They’re not looking for any publicity,” Trump said. “I give them publicity.”

Since then, Trump has repeatedly pitched Dell products during other remarks touting the Dell-funded Trump Accounts on Feb. 27, March 9, April 16, and May 8.

Dell’s stock soared to a record high the day of Trump’s most recent pro-Dell remarks at a Mother’s Day luncheon on May 8, when he praised Dell devices as “better than other computers” and personally thanked the “amazing” Dell family by name for their philanthropic contribution to Trump Accounts.

With shares in Dell now up to 140% year-to-date, the company is still seeing its valuation surge to historic heights.

Trump’s trading spree draws scrutiny

The release of Trump’s early 2026 ethical disclosure report, containing more than 3,600 transactions with a cumulative value ranging from $220 million to $750 million, sparked questions about the trades’ timing and if the business-savvy president placed them himself.

A spokesperson for the Trump Organization, the president’s privately owned conglomerate, told Reuters that Trump’s holdings are independently managed by investment advisers who have “sole and exclusive authority over all investment decisions.”

The representative said Trump’s trades are executed and portfolios are balanced through automated investment processes administered by those third-party financial managers.

“Neither President Trump, his family, nor The Trump Organization plays any role in selecting, directing, or approving specific investments,” the spokesperson said. “They receive no advance notice of trading activity and provide no input regarding investment decisions or portfolio management of any kind.”

Vice President JD Vance similarly defended Trump against self-enrichment allegations at a White House press briefing last week, arguing the president does not personally decide the trades.

“He has independent wealth advisers who manage his money,” Vance told reporters. “He’s not making these stock trades himself.”

“The president doesn’t sit in the Oval Office on his computer, on his Robinhood account, buying and selling stocks,” Vance added. “That’s absurd.”

All three of Trump’s investments in Thermo Fisher, Apple, and Micron — dated March 11 and March 25 — were marked “UNSOLICITED” on the disclosure form. “Solicited” trades mean they were recommended by the stockbroker to a client, while “unsolicited” ones were initiated by the customer.

The fresh controversy over Trump’s stock trades comes as critics continue to closely monitor his fiscal maneuvers for any aspects that would benefit him or his allies monetarily.

Trump’s opponents, for instance, have accused him of enriching himself off of pro-cryptocurrency policies he has pushed during his second administration.

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Three days into his presidency, Trump issued an executive order directing the Treasury Department to develop a regulatory framework for cryptocurrency favorable to the digital assets industry’s growth.

Less than a week before he signed the presidential directive, Trump launched his own meme coin, $TRUMP, which went on to generate more than $320 million in transaction fees over the following four months. CIC Digital LLC, the company that charges the fee when an investor buys $TRUMP, is owned by Trump.