The President Is Selling You Out: Trump’s Truth Social Market Scam Explained

I Did Not Believe It When I First Saw It

I genuinely said no way. I said there is no way they are going to do this. This is too brazen, too obvious, too blatant. I was wrong.

Donald Trump owns roughly 41 percent of Trump Media, the company behind Truth Social. He posts on that platform constantly. His posts move markets. The whole world knows this. Algos are built around it.

And now he has decided to sell early access to those posts to institutional trading firms. You pay, you get the post early, you plug it into your algorithm, and you front-run the market before the rest of the public even sees the words on the screen.

Let Us Call This What It Is

This is not a gray area. This is not a technicality. This is not a matter of interpretation.

• The president’s posts move markets
• He is selling advance access to those posts for money
• Buyers use that access to trade ahead of the public
• That is selling inside information
• That is the president of the United States running what amounts to a pay-to-front-run scheme

I spend enormous time, money, and energy making sure my firm complies with SEC regulations. Every disclosure. Every audit. Every rule. Because that is what you are supposed to do if you operate in financial markets with integrity.

The president apparently does not have to do any of that.

The Double Standard Is Staggering

We hammered Nancy Pelosi on this program for her suspicious trading record. And we were right to. But here is the thought experiment that should make your blood boil:

Imagine Pelosi running a commercial. “Hi, I am Nancy Pelosi. Pay me and I will tell you what stocks I am trading before anyone else finds out.” The country would lose its mind. There would be congressional hearings by the following Tuesday.

But when the current president does the functional equivalent through Truth Social? Crickets from the SEC. Crickets from Republicans. Crickets from Democrats who are probably doing the math on whether they can run the same play.

A Pattern of Corruption With Better PR

This is not the first time presidents have used their power to protect or enrich allies. The Marc Rich pardon was a genuine disgrace. Rich had violated trading rules, done business with sanctioned regimes, faced a potential life sentence, and received a full pardon after his ex-wife funneled over two million dollars into Democratic causes. Jimmy Carter called it disgraceful.

At least that corruption was embarrassed about itself. What we are watching now is being done in daylight, announced, monetized, and defended.

The Retail Investor Is the Sucker at This Table

If you are an everyday investor trying to manage a retirement account or build a portfolio, here is what you need to understand about the current environment:

• Institutional players are paying for information advantages you will never have
• The regulatory bodies that exist to protect you are standing down
• Every time that early-access post drops into an algorithm, your trade execution is already behind
• The system is being openly gamed at the highest level, and the referees have left the building

I have spent my career telling people what Wall Street does not want them to know. Right now the biggest thing I can tell you is this: the corruption is no longer hiding. It is charging a subscription fee.