Gained an estimated ~$200 million as S&P jumped ~47 points on 9/11 after positive tariff news .
Apr 3-4, 2025
Rep. Marjorie T. Greene (R-GA)
After Trump’s tariff announcement tanked markets (insider confidence of rebound)
Bought up to $285k in 17 beaten-down stocks (Apple, Amazon, Lululemon, Dell, RH, etc.)
Tech stocks rebounded 15% on tariff pause news a week later (significant short-term profits on paper).
Apr 8-9, 2025
Rep. Marjorie T. Greene (R-GA)
Prior to Trump’s 90-day tariff pause announcement
Bought up to $315k in 19 stocks (incl. Apple, Tesla, Nvidia) in 21 trades
Markets surged 12% hours late , yielding substantial gains. Greene denies directing trades .
Apr 9, 2025 (1:00 pm ET)
Unknown trader(s)
Minutes before Trump’s 1:18 pm tariff pause post (immediate advance knowledge)
Bought 5,105 SPY call options (S&P 500 ETF, strike ~$502) at ~$4.20 premium
Position value jumped from ~$2.14M to ~$21.4M that afternoon
Apr 9, 2025 (1:10 pm ET)
Unknown trader(s)
Minutes before Trump’s post
Bought SPY call options (strike ~$509) at ~$2.14 premium
Value rose from ~$624k to ~$10M by day’s end ($9.4M profit) .
Table sources: Carl Icahn trade ; 2019 “chaos trades” ; Greene’s 2025 trades ; April 2025 options trades .
“I didn’t know anything,” Icahn claimed. He just happened to sell his entire position days before it tanked. He hadn’t traded Manitowoc in years.
“You can’t prosecute a hunch. But you can smell when something’s rotten.”
– Former SEC official, off-record
Even inside Trump’s own cabinet, the pattern held. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross—one of the architects of the administration’s trade policy—admitted to short-selling a shipping firm tied to Russian interests just before news broke that sank the stock. He called it an ethics compliance move.
In 2019, Rep. Chris Collins—another Trump ally—was convicted of insider trading after calling his son from a White House picnic to warn him about a failed drug trial. Trump pardoned him in 2020.