Report: Top Trump Officials Conflicted With Millions in Investments in President’s Media Company Have Yet to Divest Despite Pledges to Do So

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new analysis from government watchdog Accountable.US, first reported by Mother Jones, spotlights the alarming and unprecedented situation of several Trump nominees and appointees disclosing investments as large as $4 million in Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), which is majority-owned by the president. While some in the Trump inner circle have pledged to abide by basic ethics standards by divesting from TMTG upon their confirmation, only one has certified doing so, according to the latest public ethics disclosures. Regardless, Accountable.US raised concerns that the deep personal financial relationships between Trump and several of his top aides could be incentive enough for them to put loyalty to him above the public interest. 

As of March 26th, according to the U.S. Office of Government Ethics (OGE), only one of the officials or nominees named in Accountable.US’ report has filed Certificates of Divestiture or “Ethics Agreement Compliance Certification” proving they have divested from TMTG. While some are within a 90-day window for statutory obligations to do so, perhaps some are hoping no one follows up on their pledges. Meanwhile, some Trump administration nominees have not even bothered to make a public commitment to divest, including Intelligence Board nominee Devin Nunes who owns nearly 233,000 shares in TMTG stock worth approximately $4.4 million and over 975,000 unvested stock worth about $18.6 million at the time of Accountable.US’ analysis; and Intelligence Board nominee Scott Glabe who holds more than 297,000 restricted stock units in TMTG which will vest over the course of the next two years. 

Meanwhile, Donald Trump’s stake in TMTG is worth approximately $2.2 billion and the president has defiantly rejected the idea of selling off his shares in the company, opening the floodgates to potential corruption and influence from foreign and corporate interests. These concerns are only exacerbated by the president’s company, TMTG, announcing its entrance into the largely unregulated, shadowy crypto market. The president has also used Truth Social to announce policies and appointments, essentially using his government platform to promote his private business – while hypocritically urging the Justice Department to consider media outlets that report negatively on him as “corrupt and illegal”.

“The unprecedented situation of President Trump rewarding investors and executives in his media company with administration jobs sends a clear message to the wealthy, corporate lobbyists and foreign interests that the road to influence in the United States runs through Trump Media,” said Accountable.US Executive Director Tony Carrk. “No one should be surprised that President Trump’s first weeks in office have been about removing barriers to corruption and dismantling oversight, not about lowering costs for working families. Trump cares more about lining his own pockets and his wealthy friends’ than putting money back into yours.”

At Issue: Whether or not President Trump’s appointees divest from his media company, their loyalty has already been greatly incentivized. When push comes to shove, are they capable of putting the public interest first, as if the president asks them to defy constitutional orders from a federal judge, potentially putting people’s health and financial security at risk? The fact that some of these administration picks saw the need to promise divestment from Trump Media Company makes the President’s defiant, continued multi-billion-dollar stake in it all the more brazen. Meanwhile, working Americans continue to wait for the administration to put forward a single specific policy solution to lower costs.  

###