Trump Says 'Now is the Time to Buy' 4 Hours Before Tariff Delay Announcement... U.S. in Uproar

Trump Announces Tariff Delay 4 Hours Prior

Mentions Startup DJT, Says 'Time to Buy'

Stock Soars About 22% After Delay Announcement

U.S. Democrats Cry 'Clear Market Manipulation'

U.S. President Donald Trump caused a stir in the United States after it was revealed that he encouraged stock purchases on his social media (SNS) before announcing a tariff delay.

On the 9th (local time) at around 1:30 PM, President Trump announced on his SNS 'Truth Social' that mutual tariffs on 57 countries, excluding China, would be delayed for 90 days.

However, about 4 hours earlier, at around 9:40 AM, President Trump posted a short message on Truth Social saying, "Now is the time to buy. DJT."

DJT is President Trump's initials, but it is also the ticker symbol for 'Trump Media & Technology,' which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

This can be interpreted as President Trump encouraging his followers to buy shares of the company he founded at a low price before the tariff delay announcement.

In fact, the stock price of DJT soared 21.67% to $20.27 after the tariff delay announcement. If you had bought $100 worth of stock at the time President Trump encouraged the purchase, you could have made over $20.

According to the Washington Post (WP), there is criticism in the local political and market circles that President Trump's remarks constitute market manipulation.

Representative Steven Horsford (Democrat, Nevada) pressed at the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) hearing that day, saying, "This is clear market manipulation."

Senator Adam Schiff (Democrat, California) said in an interview with Time magazine that they are "determined to find out" about the market manipulation allegations.

One X (formerly Twitter) user captured and posted President Trump's purchase encouragement mention, saying, "It's time to arrest Trump for market manipulation charges."

Reporter Minseong Hong, Hankyung.com mshong@hankyung.com