Trump Bought SpaceX: Stock Fell After He Did
SpaceX shares closed at $135 on Monday — their IPO price — after disclosures revealed that President Donald Trump purchased a personal stake in the company in the mid-$150 range, roughly two weeks after the stock began trading publicly, according to TechCrunch.
SpaceX shares closed at $135 on Monday — their IPO price — after disclosures revealed that President Donald Trump purchased a personal stake in the company in the mid-$150 range, roughly two weeks after the stock began trading publicly, according to TechCrunch.
The timing is generating immediate scrutiny in Washington. SpaceX, founded and still led by Elon Musk, completed one of the most closely watched public market debuts in years. Trump's decision to buy in at a significant premium to the IPO price — and the stock's subsequent slide back to its opening level — raises pointed questions about what information, if any, informed that purchase. The president sits atop an executive branch that holds substantial regulatory authority over Musk's aerospace operations, including federal launch licenses and government contracts worth billions.
Ethics watchdogs have noted that no existing law cleanly prohibits a sitting president from trading individual stocks, though the optics of buying into a company run by one of his most prominent political allies so shortly after its market debut are difficult to separate from the policy environment both men operate in.
SpaceX did not respond to requests for comment. The White House has not addressed the disclosure. Markets will be watching whether the stock recovers its footing — or whether the disclosure itself becomes the heavier weight.
*— Isla Camilleri, Global Affairs & Lifestyle Editor*
