Democrats have accused President Donald Trump of insider trading after pausing tariffs, but one senator could not even offer definitive “evidence.”
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) grandstanded on the issue Sunday during an appearance on “Meet the Press,” where he called for a congressional hearing and investigation into the president’s announcement of a 90-day pause on tariff hikes.
Democrats have been up in arms since the announcement last week, launching a new hoax about manipulating the market after Trump’s social media message that it was a “great time to buy” stock before his tariff turnaround. But while Booker sputtered about there being “enough smoke” to warrant an investigation, he provided none of the evidence that host Kristen Welker pressed him for.
“Do you believe that Democrats have any real evidence that anyone in the administration profited off of the president’s policies and announcements, or is this just a fishing expedition?” Welker asked.
Cory Booker is asked if there’s any evidence of insider trading related to the tariffs.
He uses a lot of words to essentially say there’s no evidence but Democrats will hold hearings and investigate anyways.
Democrats are headed for single digit approval.pic.twitter.com/FyjJBn6t5M
— Paul A. Szypula (@Bubblebathgirl) April 13, 2025
“You know, here’s the problem with Donald Trump and congressional Republicans. It is our whole system was designed to have checks and balances,” the New Jersey Democrat responded. “Now, Trump has designed an administration like none we’ve ever seen before. He is attacking the very agencies that are supposed to have independent oversight of these kinds of actions.”
“But is there any evidence?” Welker jumped in. “Do you think there’s any evidence that anyone profited off of these tariffs?”
“There is enough of an offense here. There’s enough smoke here that should demand congressional hearings,” Booker replied, insisting that there are “real, legitimate, justifiable” questions to ask.
If Congress declines to investigate, Booker contended it would be a “spineless and submissive” move.
Booker is not alone in fanning the flames as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren have asked the Securities and Exchange Commission to look into the matter as well.
“We urge the SEC to investigate whether the tariff announcements, which caused the market crash and subsequent partial recovery, enriched administration insiders and friends at the expense of the American public and whether any insiders, including the President’s family, had prior knowledge of the tariff pause that they abused to make stock trades ahead of the President’s announcement,” they wrote in a letter to SEC Chair Paul Atkins.
Social media users ripped Booker and the Democrats over the latest anti-Trump ruse.
It’s wild how “smoke” is suddenly enough for hearings… unless it’s Hunter’s laptop, Biden’s shell companies, or Epstein’s client list.
Then it’s “move along, nothing to see here.”
Total clown show.
— TechSignals (@TechSignalsonX) April 13, 2025
Great, @SenBooker – the people on both sides of the aisle have been screaming for a look at the stock trading activity of ALL members of Congress for a very long time now. You say there’s “smoke”? Then let’s find where THAT fire is- insider trading by members of Congress. Let’s…
— Commonsensical Human (@Lol19559014) April 13, 2025
His only answer was “Orange Man Bad.”
— ImUrCactusEnema (@Huckleberry60) April 13, 2025
Booker is very good at talking a lot and saying nothing.
— W D Hatfield (@Notalibtwit) April 13, 2025
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
- Brace yourselves: Nate Silver gives early nod to likeliest Democratic front-runner for 2028 - April 17, 2025
- Harvard responds after Trump admin asks IRS to revoke its tax-exempt status - April 17, 2025
- Whoopi Goldberg has her broken clock moment, says maybe ‘some of what’s happening is a good thing’ - April 17, 2025
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.