US President Donald Trump's announcement of a 90-day pause on tariffs for most countries sent global markets soaring on Wednesday, but it also sparked a wave of criticism and accusations of potential market manipulation.
Just hours before the official announcement, Trump posted on his Truth Social platform: &ldquo;This is a great time to buy!!! DJT.&rdquo; The post, published at 9.37 am ET&mdash;shortly after US markets opened&mdash;used both his initials and the ticker symbol for Trump Media &amp; Technology Group, which saw a sharp rise in its stock price following the news.
By 1.20 pm, Trump publicly declared the tariff pause, triggering a market-wide surge. The S&amp;P 500 jumped 8.2%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 7%, and the NASDAQ composite soared 10.4%.
However, trading activity raised eyebrows. Call option volumes began spiking around 1 pm, shortly before the announcement, leading some to question whether information was leaked in advance. Critics also noted that the sharpest gains occurred before Trump made the news public.
Among those raising concerns was Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who reposted data from Spencer Hakimian, CEO of Tolou Capital Management and financial analytics site Unusual Whales. &ldquo;Any member of Congress who purchased stocks in the last 48 hours should probably disclose that now,&rdquo; she wrote, pointing to the May 15 deadline for financial disclosures.
Calls for accountability quickly escalated. Senator Elizabeth Warren demanded a formal investigation into whether the president&rsquo;s actions constituted an attempt to manipulate the market to benefit allies. &ldquo;If President Trump used his position to enrich his donors or himself, the American people deserve to know,&rdquo; she said in a statement.
Good news for Musk?
Meanwhile, scrutiny intensified after reports that Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene disclosed recent stock purchases&mdash;including Apple and Amazon&mdash;that had suffered losses the previous week but rebounded sharply following Trump&rsquo;s announcement.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the day&rsquo;s rally added $135 billion to the combined wealth of the world&rsquo;s top 10 richest individuals. Elon Musk led the gains with a $35.9 billion increase, boosting his net worth to $326 billion. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg added $25.8 billion, while Amazon founder Jeff Bezos saw an $18.5 billion jump.
The White House has not commented on the timing of Trump&rsquo;s post or the allegations of impropriety.

Truth Social post before tariff pause draws scrutiny over possible insider influence

Amid Tariff War, Trump Faces Market Manipulation Claims

Truth Social post before tariff pause draws scrutiny over possible insider influence

April 10, 2025 | 17:19 IST