Trump SpaceX shares purchase disclosed at up to $50,000
A June disclosure shows Trump’s accounts bought $15,001 to $50,000 of SpaceX stock, but it does not identify the buyer’s exact price or share count.
By Theo Nakamura · Staff Writer
· 3 min read
President Donald Trump’s disclosed accounts bought between $15,001 and $50,000 of SpaceX stock on June 23, according to an ethics filing reported by Forbes. The Trump SpaceX shares purchase occurred about 11 days after the company’s initial public offering, but the record does not show the exact number of shares, the price paid or who selected the investment.
That distinction is central for investors reading the headline. The filing documents account activity in a value range, rather than a personal trade instruction from the president. Forbes reported that the June filing listed more than 1,000 individual stock purchases and sales across Trump’s accounts.
What does the Trump SpaceX shares purchase disclosure show?
The reported disclosure puts the SpaceX transaction in the $15,001-to-$50,000 range on June 23. Forbes said the filing gives ranges for transaction values, so it cannot establish the precise dollar amount. It also does not provide an exact purchase price or share count.
TechCrunch reported that SpaceX traded in the mid-$150s on June 23, after earlier reaching prices above $200. The shares later closed at $135, which TechCrunch said was the IPO price. Because the actual purchase price is unknown, the available record cannot determine whether the SpaceX position was then worth more or less than its purchase cost.
Who directed the SpaceX investment?
The reporting does not establish that Trump personally chose SpaceX. In a statement reported by Forbes, the White House said the trades were made through computer-based model portfolios that automatically replicate recognized indexes, including the Schwab 1000.
Separately, TechCrunch reported that White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Reuters the president’s portfolio was managed by third-party financial institutions and replicated recognized indexes such as the Schwab 1000. Forbes also reported that Eric Trump had said independent third-party institutions manage the accounts and that neither the president, his family nor the Trump Organization selects or directs specific investments.
Those statements describe how the accounts are handled, but the reports do not show how or why SpaceX was included in the accounts for this transaction.
What is an OGE periodic transaction report?
The Office of Government Ethics says its Form 278-T is a public periodic transaction report used by covered executive-branch employees. OGE says the broader financial-disclosure system is designed to support systematic review of officials’ financial interests and help prevent conflicts of interest.
Public disclosure, however, has limits. It can show a reported transaction and its listed range without revealing every detail of an investment decision. The SpaceX entry supports a reported purchase by Trump’s accounts in June; it does not, on its own, show the exact trade terms or personal involvement by the president.
Readers can review OGE’s financial-disclosure guidance for its description of periodic transaction reports and the public disclosure process.
This story draws on original reporting from TechCrunch.
