'SEC should be knocking on his door,' Warren grills Bessent on Trump's quarter-billion stock trades

WASHINGTON, DC: Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) used a heated Senate Finance Committee hearing to launch an explosive confrontation against Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, demanding a federal investigation into President Donald J Trump's massive, multi-million-dollar stock trading activity.

Accusing the president of weaponizing his office for personal gain, Warren presented specific transaction dates and exact dollar amounts, alleging that he profited from insider trading advantages derived from sensitive geopolitical and financial decisions orchestrated by his own administration.  

A high-stakes confrontation emerged regarding Trump's recent financial disclosures, which revealed that the president completed over 3,400 stock trades valued at more than a quarter of a billion dollars within just the first three months of 2026.

This staggering amount accounts for about half of what all 535 members of Congress earned combined last year, with the value of nearly every traded asset linked to active executive policies.

Warren relentlessly questioned the Treasury Secretary about whether the president should be subject to the same regulatory scrutiny that ordinary investors face when dealing with volatile public markets.

Secretary defends outside managers

Bessent aggressively sidestepped the conflict-of-interest allegations, refusing to say whether the trades warrant an active Securities and Exchange Commission probe.

The secretary deflected by insisting that the president is not personally sitting in the Oval Office executing a high-frequency trading strategy, suggesting an outside manager maintains control of the portfolio.

Warren fiercely rejected the defense, noting that the investments are completely un-blind, as Trump signed a 113-page public disclosure document listing his individual positions while concurrently making sweeping policy decisions that altered their market values.

Bessent repeatedly counter-attacked by demanding that Congress clean up its own legislative trading practices before attempting to regulate the executive branch, declaring: "I think it's incumbent upon both houses of Congress to get their house in order before you move to the administrative branch."

Senator flags suspicious AI trades

Warren detailed a highly specific timeline of transactions to demonstrate a clear pattern of profitable policy manipulation.

She revealed that on January 6, Trump purchased up to a million dollars worth of Nvidia stock.

Exactly one week later, his administration loosened critical US export controls, allowing Nvidia to ship its advanced chips to China and sending the stock price soaring.

"You said last year if any private citizen traded the way members of Congress do, 'the SEC would be knocking on their door,'" Warren reminded Bessent.

"Should the SEC be knocking on President Trump's door to start an investigation over this trade?" Bessent completely refused to answer, choosing instead to lecture the panel: "Please lead by example."

Treasury chief dodges insider trading questions

The tension escalated further as Warren exposed a second major cluster of trades directly linked to Bessent's own department.

Trump acquired tens of thousands of dollars worth of stock in Robinhood and the Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (BNY) right before the Treasury Department publicly announced it had selected BNY and Robinhood as the official financial agents to implement the new Trump accounts program on April 6, sending both stocks upward.

When Warren asked whether these purchases would be illegal if executed using inside information, Bessent claimed his lack of a law degree prevented him from speaking to the matter.

He completely turned the scrutiny back onto opposition lawmakers, asking why the committee shouldn't investigate its own members.

Warren concluded the fiery session by stating that Trump is taking advantage of his position to enrich himself, asserting that the White House must follow the law.