President Donald Trump bought a significant amount of Dell Technologies stock just months before the computer manufacturer received a massive Pentagon contract, highlighting how the president can financially benefit from his position in the White House.
Pentagon Contract and Stock Purchase
The Defense Department announced Wednesday that Dell had won a $9.7 billion, five-year contract to provide software to the military. On February 10, Trump purchased between $1 million and $5 million worth of Dell stock, according to his periodic financial transaction report. The public only became aware of this purchase when disclosures were filed earlier this month, as required by law.
President's Public Endorsement
In the meantime, Trump repeatedly promoted Dell in public speeches, even urging people to "go out and buy a Dell computer." Less than two weeks after the stock purchase, he said, "They make a great product." Before the Pentagon deal, the Dell family had contributed $6.25 billion to so-called "Trump accounts," tax-advantaged savings vehicles created by the president's One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
On May 8, Trump thanked Susan and Michael Dell, the company's billionaire founder, saying, "I want to thank the Dell family. It's a great family. He is amazing; she is amazing." Meanwhile, Dell stock has soared.
Conflict of Interest Concerns
Ethics experts have raised alarms. Cynthia Brown, senior ethics counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, stated, "The president has put the weight of his office behind a private company, singling them out as a good investment and granting them a lucrative government contract to further bolster their bottom line, while other companies struggle to compete."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how the Pentagon contract and Trump's public remarks could boost his portfolio. The Trump family has previously said that trades are placed automatically and that the president does not control them.
Eric Trump said on X last week, "President Trump's investment holdings are maintained exclusively in fully discretionary accounts managed by independent third-party financial institutions. These institutions have sole and exclusive authority over all investment decisions." He called media reporting on conflicts of interest "dishonest."
Vice President JD Vance dismissed concerns at a press conference on May 19, saying, "The president doesn't sit at the Oval Office on his computer on a Robinhood account buying and selling stocks."
However, as The New York Times noted, even if trades are made by third parties, the president can still be aware of them because his investments are not in a blind trust. Trump has refused to divest from his own companies during both presidencies, blurring lines between official business and personal profit. He has also poured money into cryptocurrency while trying to deregulate the industry.
Just this month, administration officials announced a new $1.78 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund" that could steer taxpayer money to Trump allies. Ethics experts have called this brazen corruption.
Ethics Laws Matter
Cynthia Brown emphasized, "The administration should be working to improve opportunities for all American businesses, not playing favorites." The president's Dell stock purchase and subsequent events demonstrate why ethics laws matter, according to the government accountability watchdog group.
