Trump bought NVIDIA and AMD stock before his administration approved chip exports to China. US law exempts this “conflict of interest.”
Details. A recently published filing revealed that President Trump's family spent $220–750 million purchasing securities in major US corporations. The report details more than 3,000 transactions conducted between January and March 2026. The filing lacks transparency, however, as it does not disclose exact prices, profits, or who directed the trades.
► The Trump family purchased stocks of American companies that benefited from decisions made by Trump's administration, such as a chip export agreement with China, which drove up the stock prices of NVIDIA and AMD. Additionally, Trump bought stock in Palantir at the time of signing a $1 billion agreement with the Department of Homeland Security.
► Trump's son Eric claimed that accusations of corruption are "a lie and blatantly false," insisting that the family neither directly controls the trades nor selects which specific companies to invest in.
Context. Insider trading has long been common among American officials: in 2025 alone, members of Congress made more than 13,000 trades worth over $600 million.
► The Trump administration, however, has been more brazen about such practices. Shortly before the start of the US–Iran conflict, Secretary of Defense Hegseth was reported to have invested millions in American arms company stocks, while shares in Palantir surged each time strikes resumed.
► The Trump family's net worth rose sharply by 70% in the year following his election. His estimated net worth currently stands at $6.2 billion.
► A federal criminal conflict-of-interest statute generally prohibits US executive officials from using their office for personal financial gain. However, since 1989, both the President and Vice President have been exempt from this law, on the grounds that they must be able to act on any matter that comes before them.