Overview
- An ethics filing dated Jan. 14 reports 189 bond purchases and two sales between Nov. 14 and Dec. 29, with totals of at least $51 million disclosed in value ranges.
- Trump acquired two tranches each of Netflix and Discovery Communications bonds on Dec. 12 and Dec. 16, days after the Dec. 5 Netflix–Warner Bros. Discovery deal was announced and as the transaction heads into regulatory review.
- The portfolio expansion spans corporate debt from companies such as General Motors, Boeing, CoreWeave, Occidental Petroleum and United Rentals, alongside numerous municipal bonds from cities, schools, utilities and hospitals.
- A White House official has said investment choices are made by independent financial managers, and the Office of Government Ethics approved the disclosure.
- Critics point to potential conflicts because some issuers face administration influence, while JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon warned the DOJ’s separate probe of the Fed could unsettle markets and raise rates, drawing bipartisan concern from figures like Sen. Thom Tillis.