Trump's Trading Activity Outpaces Congress While He Backs a Ban

Over a 17-month stretch, Donald Trump executed close to 28,700 stock trades—surpassing the 22,200 made by all of Congress combined—while championing a legislative ban on lawmaker trading that would not apply to his own holdings.

These statistics come from a Bloomberg examination of disclosures up to June, arriving as Republicans make stock trading a central campaign theme ahead of the midterm elections.

A Ban That Skips the President

In July, House Republicans advanced a bill that would prohibit members of Congress, their spouses, and dependent children from trading individual stocks. The president is not mentioned in the legislation.

Trump has voiced support for the measure. During his State of the Union speech, he urged Congress to pass it “without delay.”

The White House maintains that his assets are overseen by external firms using index-tracking models, and that neither Trump nor his relatives direct any transactions.

Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a principal backer of the prohibition, described it as a transparency initiative during a Republican gathering in Dallas last week.

“The American people deserve to know that those they elect to public office actually serve the American people and not their own wallets.”

Echoing Pattern, New Focus

Trump has resisted Republicans who aim to include him in the ban. He labeled Senator Josh Hawley a “pawn” last year following Hawley's proposal to extend trading restrictions to the presidency.

He has also demanded scrutiny of Nancy Pelosi's trades. His own filings reflect a comparable trend.

He has celebrated stock gains shortly after acquiring shares, including a DoorDash position he maintained prior to organizing a White House delivery occasion.

When questioned about the potential conflict, Trump defended his actions.

“Because the stock market’s going up. Everybody’s profiting.”

A May Economist/YouGov survey indicated that 75% of Americans favor prohibiting elected officials from trading stocks. Yet support for such a ban has not resulted in enforcement actions.

The STOCK Act of 2012 imposes penalties starting at just $200. Legal analysts note that the Department of Justice would face significant hurdles enforcing a ban on a sitting president.