Her office says she doesn’t personally make the trades. “She signed a fiduciary agreement,” a spokesperson told reporters, “and has no direct role in managing her investments.” But they didn’t answer the real question: Did she know?
“She’s not clairvoyant. But she acts like she is.”
– Rep. Ruben Gallego, in a letter demanding an ethics probe
And Greene wasn’t the only one cashing in. Just minutes before Trump’s post, two separate blocks of SPY call options were purchased—5,105 contracts at $4.20 premium, and another 2,800 contracts at $2.14. Those options exploded in value after the announcement. One position ballooned from $2 million to over $21 million in a matter of hours.
“Who drops $2 million on a market surge… minutes before the president causes one?”
– Saqib Iqbal Ahmed, Reuters
This isn’t new. In 2019, anonymous traders bought 420,000 E-mini futures—equal to 40% of daily volume—just before Trump tweeted that U.S.–China trade talks were “back on track.” The move netted an estimated $1.8 billion.
Carl Icahn did one better. In February 2018, the billionaire and Trump confidant sold $31 million in shares of Manitowoc, a crane company dependent on cheap steel. Days later, Trump dropped a surprise 25% tariff on steel imports. Manitowoc plunged 20%. Icahn avoided millions in losses
Table: Selected Trades and Events Suspected as Insider Trading (Trump Tariff Actions and Associated Trades)
Date
Trader / Ally
Event or Inside Knowledge
Trade Action
Outcome / Gains
Feb 22, 2018
Carl Icahn (Trump friend & ex-advisor)
Anticipation of Trump’s steel tariff announcement
Sold 1 million shares of crane-maker Manitowoc (steel-dependent)
Avoided ~$6 million in losses. (Stock fell ~16% after tariffs)
June 28, 2019
Unknown trader(s)
Likely advance knowledge of U.S.-China tariff truce at G20
Bought 420,000 S&P 500 E-mini futures contracts
Profited ~$1.8 billion after Trump declared talks back on track with China, lifting markets .