At least 15 senior U.S. government officials and congressional aides sold stock holdings in March 2025 ahead of former President Donald Trump's tariff policy announcement that rattled global markets, according to an investigative report by ProPublica reviewed by KhabarAsia.
The transactions – including six-figure trades by a State Department official and a key architect of the administration's trade policy – occurred days before Trump's April 2 declaration of sweeping tariffs targeting major trading partners. A White House counsel reportedly divested shares in nine companies before another significant trade policy shift.
Financial disclosures show officials shifted assets from equities to bonds, treasuries, or cash positions ahead of market-moving announcements. While no laws were explicitly broken, the timing has reignited debates about ethical safeguards in government financial practices.
The report comes as analysts warn of renewed market volatility following Trump's 2025 tariff proposals, which initially erased $1.2 trillion from U.S. equities. Global investors are closely monitoring how such policies might impact Asian export economies and supply chains.
