Imagine a nation where the highest office is used not to serve the people, but to serve personal interests. Where a president’s words—“THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!! DJT”—precede policy reversals that cause markets to surge, raising questions of insider trading and market manipulation.

This isn’t a political thriller. It’s our current reality.

On the morning of April 9, 2025, former President Donald Trump took to his platform, Truth Social, and made a declaration that would ripple across global markets. Mere hours later, he announced a 90-day pause on newly imposed tariffs—a policy reversal so sudden, so financially beneficial to anyone with foresight, that it sent the S&P 500 soaring by 9.5%. Billions were made in hours.

Coincidence? Maybe. But let’s be honest with ourselves: If any other leader had acted in such a manner, would we remain silent? Would we accept this erosion of democratic norms and economic integrity?

We are not witnessing bold leadership—we are witnessing a game of power and profit played at the highest level, one that threatens the very foundation of public trust. And what’s worse, it’s unfolding right in front of us, cloaked in bravado and distraction.

This Is Bigger Than One Man

This isn’t about red vs. blue. It’s about right vs. wrong.

What we’re seeing is a convergence of power, profit, and policy in the hands of one individual who has shown time and again a willingness to blur ethical lines for personal gain. A man who owns stock in his own company—DJT—while simultaneously holding the power to influence markets, policies, and public behavior.

Imagine if any CEO tweeted about their own company hours before a massive stock surge driven by a policy change they controlled. Would that not be investigated? Would that not spark outrage?

And yet, we treat it differently when it comes from a former president who continues to dominate the political stage. Why?

The Erosion of Trust

When the line between governance and grift becomes indistinguishable, the result is a collapse in public faith. If citizens believe that markets are rigged and leaders are self-dealing, why should they follow the rules? Pay their taxes? Participate in democracy?

Democracies don’t die in dramatic coups. They erode slowly—bit by bit—as public trust is replaced with cynicism, and institutions become tools of the powerful rather than safeguards for the people.

That’s the true cost of what’s unfolding—not just billions shifted in markets, but the quiet corrosion of belief in the system itself.

The Rule of Law Must Apply to All

Some legal experts argue that Trump’s post doesn’t meet the narrow definition of insider trading. After all, he didn’t leak non-public information to a friend over lunch. He shouted it from the rooftop.

But that’s exactly the problem. We’ve reached a point where even blatant conflicts of interest are dismissed because they don’t fit the textbook definition of illegality.

When the laws can’t—or won’t—catch up to the abuse of power, the people must.

We must ask: Is the system broken, or is it simply working as designed—to protect those at the top while punishing those without access?

This Is a Wake-Up Call

It’s time to awaken to the gravity of these actions. To recognize that our democracy is not self-sustaining—it demands participation, scrutiny, and accountability. Power unchecked becomes tyranny. Profit unregulated becomes plunder.

So what can we do?

We can demand real investigations—not performative hearings, but thorough, independent oversight.

We can elect leaders who value public service over personal enrichment.

We can push for reforms in financial transparency, conflict-of-interest rules, and real-time financial disclosures for public officials.

And most importantly, we can stop pretending this is normal.

Because it’s not.

This is a defining moment.

Not because one man tweeted about a stock—but because of what we choose to do next.

Let history say we were awake.