President Donald Trump is facing online backlash after a social media post urged followers to "buy" just hours before he announced a 90-day pause on tariffs. Critics are accusing him of stock manipulation, pointing to the sudden rise in stock prices that followed his comments.
At 9:37 AM on Wednesday, Trump posted a short message on Truth Social: "THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT." Just a few hours later, around 1:20 PM, he announced that tariffs would be paused for 90 days for most countries. This news sent the stock market soaring. The S&P 500 jumped by 8.2%, the Dow Jones gained 2,631 points (7%), and the Nasdaq shot up 10.4%.
The timing of Trump's post drew immediate criticism. Many users on social media questioned whether the post was a deliberate attempt to influence the market.
"Trump posted this five hours ago. How is this not market manipulation?" one user asked on X, formerly known as Twitter, while sharing a screenshot of Trump's post.
Another user wrote, "Donald Trump should be arrested for stock manipulation."
A third post read, "This administration is going to be investigated for market manipulation."
As of now, neither Trump nor any spokesperson from his team has responded to these allegations.
Trump's announcement about tariffs came during the same day on Truth Social. He stated that more than 75 countries had reached out to the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and the U.S. Trade Representative to discuss trade-related issues. According to Trump, because these countries did not retaliate against the U.S., he chose to pause tariffs.
"In light of ongoing negotiations and the goodwill shown by these countries, I am authorizing a 90-day PAUSE, and a lowered Reciprocal Tariff of 10%, also effective immediately," Trump wrote. He added that this move was meant to give time for global discussions around trade, currency manipulation, and other barriers.
However, the former president did not ease up on all nations. In the same post, he announced a steep rise in tariffs on Chinese imports.
"Due to the disrespect China has shown to world markets, I am raising tariffs on China to 125%, effective immediately," he said. "Hopefully, China will soon understand that taking advantage of the U.S. and other countries is no longer acceptable."
This two-pronged approach—offering relief to most countries while increasing pressure on China—was framed by Trump as a strong negotiation tactic. But critics are focused more on the impact of his earlier post and how it may have influenced market behavior.
Stock in Trump Media & Technology Group Corp, which uses the ticker "DJT," saw noticeable gains following his announcement. This has raised questions about whether the former president had insider knowledge and used his platform to benefit his own interests or those of his followers.
So far, no formal investigation has been announced. However, legal experts say that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may examine the sequence of events to determine if any rules were broken.
The combination of market movement and Trump's earlier online message has reignited debate over whether public figures should be held accountable for posts that can influence trading behavior.
While supporters praise his actions as bold and strategic, critics see them as reckless and potentially illegal. With markets still reacting, this controversy is likely to remain in the spotlight in the days ahead.
