From Truth to Profit: How Trump and the GOP Engineered a Market Grift in Broad Daylight By: ProjectFactz @projectfactz.bsky.social

 



From Truth to Profit: How Trump and the GOP Engineered a Market Grift in Broad Daylight
By: ProjectFactz
@projectfactz.bsky.social

April 12, 2025



I. The Setup Wasn't Subtle—It Was Strategic
On April 10th, 2025, Donald Trump posted a single word to Truth Social: "BUY." Within minutes, a basket of Trump-tied ETFs and SPACs spiked. This wasn't market confidence; this was manipulation in a red hat. And like clockwork, Speaker Mike Johnson echoed the sentiment, telling Americans, "It’s a great day to invest."
What appeared as a spontaneous burst of optimism was anything but. This was a stress test for 2024's political strategy: use Trump's cult of personality not just to rig elections but to rig the markets.

II. The Timeline They Hope You Don't Piece Together
• 10:30 AM ET: Trump drops the word "BUY" on Truth Social.
• 10:45 AM: Trump-linked MAGA ETFs experience an unusual bump.
• 11:15 AM: Mike Johnson, flanked by House Republicans, repeats the same sentiment on air.
• 11:30 AM: Larry Kudlow on Fox Business hails it as smart financial advice.
• 12:00 PM: At a House Oversight hearing, Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford attempts to question Patrick Greer, a Biden appointee, about corporate oversight. Republicans? They walk out.
The timing isn’t suspicious—it’s a confession.

III. The Players in the Grift
• Donald Trump: The human meme who uses Truth Social like a private Bloomberg terminal for MAGA insiders.
• Mike Johnson: The pastor turned portfolio pusher who legitimized Trump’s signal.
• Larry Kudlow: Reaganite-turned-hype man, laundering the absurd through economic jargon.
• The GOP Caucus: Derelict in duty, absent during oversight, present for the pump-and-dump.
• Rep. Steven Horsford: The only adult in the room, left speaking to a room of empty chairs.

IV. This Isn’t Just Unethical. It May Be Criminal.
Trump is not a licensed financial advisor. He holds no fiduciary duty to investors. Yet his statements—particularly when coordinated with public figures—move markets. This is the definition of manipulation.

The SEC defines market manipulation as "intentional conduct designed to deceive or defraud investors by controlling or artificially affecting the market." There is no clearer example than a political figure urging a buy before orchestrated public validation.
And make no mistake: had a sitting CEO done this, the SEC would’ve already issued subpoenas.

V. The Media Laundering Machine
The act itself was brazen. But just as damning was the way it was normalized. Fox Business aired segments praising the move. No pushback. No questions. Just Kudlow’s nodding approval as if market clairvoyance from a man on trial for 91 felony counts was sound fiscal strategy.
This wasn’t journalism—it was PR.

VI. 2025, Not 2024—And That Makes It Worse
This wasn’t a preview. It was the main event. In 2024, we were told to watch for authoritarian overreach. But 2025 reveals something more insidious: the monetization of that overreach.
We now have a political party treating governance as a meme stock play.
And we’re the bag holders.

VII. Horsford's Empty Room Is a Warning Shot
Rep. Horsford didn’t walk out. He stayed. He questioned. He pointed out that the appointee before him had "the rug pulled out" from under him—metaphorically and literally. His interrogation to empty chairs is a microcosm of the broader rot. Accountability is now a solo act.

VIII. Final Word: If This Is the New Normal, Burn It Down
We should not have to say this, but apparently we do: Presidents shouldn’t signal stock buys. Speakers shouldn’t amplify them. Financial pundits shouldn’t cheerlead them. And elected officials should not use congressional hearings as exit ramps when scrutiny gets inconvenient.
This wasn’t just unethical. It was a blueprint.
Expose it. Mock it. Prosecute it if you can. But above all—don’t let it go unanswered.
[End of Op-Ed]

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Corporate Takeover of the Democratic Party: A Crisis for Grassroots Democracy

The recent report on Third Way’s memo urging Democrats to move away from small-dollar donors is a glaring signal of a larger shift happening within the party—one that threatens to erode the very foundation of grassroots democracy. If the Democratic establishment embraces this approach, it will mark the final stage in a slow but deliberate corporate takeover, effectively transforming the party into a vehicle for elite interests while sidelining the working-class voters it claims to represent. The Facts: Third Way and Corporate Influence Third Way, a neoliberal think tank with deep ties to corporate donors, has long been an advocate for pro-business policies under the guise of centrist pragmatism. Their latest memo asserts that small-dollar donors do not represent the broader electorate, a claim that conveniently ignores the reality that these donors represent the party’s most engaged and motivated base. Instead of proposing alternative ways to energize working-class voters, Third Way...
Read more

www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24p... https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/24pdf/24a931_2c83.pdf

Image
The Supreme Court just handed the executive branch another dangerous tool while pretending it upheld the Constitution.  In a 5–4 decision that undermines meaningful judicial review, the Court vacated emergency orders meant to halt unjust detentions under the long-dormant but deeply authoritarian Alien Enemy Act. Here’s why this matters—and why the so-called defenders of original intent are helping the government erode the very liberties the Constitution was meant to protect. "Roberts et al have divined the Actual Intent of the constitution, which is to allow the government to exercise nearly unaccountable power to strip people of their rights. it is why we fought the revolution! ‪Steve Vladeck‬ ‪@stevevladeck.bsky.social‬ · 2h #BREAKING: 5-4 Court, with Barrett joining the three Dem. appointees in dissent *vacates* Chief Judge Boasberg’s temporary restraining orders in the Alien Enemy Act cases. Judicial review must be available, Court holds, but has to come through habeas petitio...
Read more

Trump’s ‘I’m Joking’ Tactic: A Strategy to Normalize Authoritarianism

Image
  Trump’s ‘I’m Joking’ Tactic: A Strategy to Normalize Authoritarianism Donald Trump’s recent comments about seeking a third term should not be brushed off as mere trolling. When asked whether he has been presented with plans that would allow him to seek a third term, Trump responded, “There are methods which you could do it.” When pressed for more details, he simply replied, “no.” This response—casual, ambiguous, yet loaded—fits a well-established pattern: testing the waters for ideas that seem extreme now but could gain traction over time. The Playbook: Say It, Deny It, Normalize It Trump has long employed a strategy where he introduces radical ideas, waits for the backlash (or lack thereof), and then either walks them back or pushes them further. He used this method to normalize election denial, political violence, and the weaponization of government institutions against his enemies. Now, he is applying the same tactic to the possibility of a third term. First, he jokes about it...
Read more