Trump bought – On March 11, President Trump toured a Thermo Fisher facility in Reading, Ohio, praised the company’s manufacturing work, and urged other pharmaceutical firms to “on-shore” production using Thermo Fisher. That same day, he also bought Thermo Fisher stock—again—
When President Trump walked through Thermo Fisher Scientific’s manufacturing facility in Reading. Ohio on March 11. he didn’t just offer the usual compliments reserved for a corporate host. He heaped praise on the company’s operation. standing beside CEO Marc Casper as he said. “It’s a great honor being here. It’s a great company,” adding, “You have done a fantastic job and I’d like to congratulate you.”.
Then the pitch turned outward. Trump asked another Thermo Fisher executive to share “some great information about this incredible company.” The executive described Thermo Fisher’s contract manufacturing at the facility. including producing drugs for Merck and others. Trump followed with an explicit call for other pharmaceutical companies to work with Thermo Fisher—telling them to “on-shore” more jobs.
He claimed that while some pharmaceutical companies were building their own U.S. manufacturing facilities, they “can get here a lot faster by using this great company.”
But the timing is what’s drawn sharp attention. Trump did not publicly disclose a Thermo Fisher stock purchase until May 14. even though he bought the stock on the same day as the tour. According to the disclosure material, federal disclosure rules require filers to report transactions in broad ranges rather than exact amounts.
On March 11. Trump purchased between $15. 000 and $50. 000 of Thermo Fisher stock. listed later on page 38 of a 113-page document cataloging his stock purchases in 2026. That purchase came after an earlier round of buying: about one month before the visit. on February 12. he purchased between $51. 000 and $115. 000 worth of Thermo Fisher stock. and on March 2 he made another purchase valued between $15. 000 and $50. 000. In other words. at the time Trump delivered those effusive remarks about Thermo Fisher’s manufacturing. he had already bought as much as $215. 000 worth of the company’s stock over the previous month.
The disclosures also show that Trump’s March 11 purchase was marked “UNSOLICITED” in the document. The materials explain that an “unsolicited” trade is one initiated by the customer, not recommended by a broker.
In response to criticism. a spokesperson for the Trump Organization said the trades were “completely separate from Trump’s official duties” and handled by an independent outside financial advisor. The spokesperson said. “President Trump’s investment holdings are maintained exclusively through fully discretionary accounts independently managed by third-party financial institutions with sole and exclusive authority over all investment decisions.” The spokesperson added that “Trades are executed and portfolios are balanced through automated investment processes and systems administered by those institutions.”.
The reporting behind the disclosures argues the March 11 timing undercuts that explanation. The same reporting notes that Trump did not just buy and then step away. Instead. before returning to the White House. Trump transferred his assets in a trust managed by his son Donald Trump Jr. It also notes there are “no legal or practical barriers” to Trump’s involvement. but describes the arrangement as an ethical conflict. Meghan Faulkner. a spokesperson for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). said. “When we say Donald Trump is the most corrupt president in American history. it’s because of conduct like this. ” and added. “It could not be clearer that he views the presidency as a get-rich-quick scheme. and that’s a slap in the face to countless Americans struggling financially thanks to Trump administration policies.”.
Thermo Fisher was not the only company at the center of the overlap between Trump’s public praise and his private trading in 2026.
After the Ohio facility visit. Trump traveled to Kentucky and delivered a speech later that afternoon where he singled out Apple and CEO Tim Cook. Trump said. “Apple. a great company. $2.5 billion to manufacture 100 percent of the glass for iPhones and Apple Watches right here in Kentucky factories. ” and claimed. “Apple [is] spending $650 billion on new plants all over the United States.” He added. “Think of that. Who the hell else could have done this, nobody else. Nobody else. I say it kiddingly, but I’m actually not kidding. Nobody else could…He’s done a good job, Tim Cook.”.
That same day—March 11—Trump purchased between $250. 000 and $500. 000 of Apple stock. and that entry was also marked “unsolicited.” In addition. the disclosures say he bought between $1. 000. 000 and $5. 000. 000 of Apple stock in an unsolicited purchase on March 2. Across March 2026. he purchased between $2 million and $7.2 million in Apple stock. including five unsolicited purchases. and sold smaller amounts on March 6 and March 27.
During that Kentucky speech, he also returned to Thermo Fisher, telling the crowd, “I just came from Thermo Fisher Scientific in Reading, Ohio, right across the way, the great American company that’s investing $2 billion in domestic manufacturing.”
The pattern extends beyond March 11. On March 25. Trump purchased between $50. 000 and $100. 000 in Micron stock. and that transaction was marked “unsolicited.” The next day. during an interview on Fox News’ talk show “The Five. ” Trump said he had recently met with Micron’s top executive and praised the company. telling viewers. “I just left the head of Micron. It’s one of the hottest companies.” The reporting says the fact that Trump touted Micron after building up a large position in its stock has not been previously reported.
Overall, the disclosures show Trump purchased between $217,000 and $530,000 in Micron from March 2 to March 25, including four unsolicited transactions.
There was also overlap tied to Dell Technologies. On February 10, Trump purchased between $1 million and $5 million worth of Dell stock. Nine days later. he told a Georgia crowd to “go out and buy a Dell computer. ” saying the company made “phenomenal products.” During that same speech. he praised Dell CEO Michael Dell and his wife for financially supporting “Trump Accounts” for newborns. The reporting notes that the proximity of that February 19 speech to his Dell purchase has not been previously reported.
Trump made additional Dell trades on March 2 and March 11—each valued between $15. 000 and $50. 000 and marked “unsolicited”—and made a final purchase between $1. 000 and $15. 000 on March 23. The reporting also says he continued to encourage people to buy Dell products on February 27. March 9. April 16. and May 8. and that remarks on May 8 delivered at a Mother’s Day event helped propel Dell’s stock to an all-time high.
Critics say the timing makes the ethical questions unavoidable.
Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) said in a statement that Trump’s “buy-and-pump routine” underscores the importance of legislation. Magaziner pointed to a bipartisan bill he co-introduced with hard-right Texas Republican Rep. Chip Roy that would ban stock trading by members of Congress. and another bill he cosponsored addressing trading by the president and vice president. Magaziner said Trump’s trades “show that he continues to put his own self-enrichment ahead of the interests of the American people. ” and said outlawing such behavior “is a necessary step to cleaning up the corruption that has plagued Washington for too long.”.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who coauthored a Senate companion to the Magaziner-Roy bill, said, “Trump’s ‘financial self-dealing is a profound betrayal of the citizens he is supposed to serve. This is about trust. Elected officials—especially the president—shouldn’t be trading stocks.’”
The reporting also ties some trades to the administration’s policy agenda. It points to an earlier account—citing NOTUS—that Trump purchased $500. 000 to $1 million worth of Nvidia stock on January 6. a week before the Commerce Department approved the sale of some Nvidia chips to China. It also says NOTUS found Trump purchased between $50. 000 and $100. 000 in AMD on January 6. another chipmaker whose approval to do business with China was granted on January 13.
Legal and procedural compliance has added another layer. By law, Trump was required to report all of these trades within 45 days. The reporting says he missed that deadline for many of his trades, resulting in a fine of $200.
The disclosures do not just document buying and selling. They capture the close overlap between what Trump praised onstage—Thermo Fisher’s manufacturing in particular. alongside Apple. Micron. and Dell—and what he was simultaneously building in his brokerage accounts. The debate now is no longer abstract. It is measured in the specific dates. the declared “unsolicited” transactions. and the unanswered question of what the public saw when the markets were quietly moving behind the scenes.
Trump Thermo Fisher Marc Casper stock trading unsolicited trades Apple Micron Dell ethics CREW Seth Magaziner Chip Roy Kirsten Gillibrand U.S. politics