Trump’s Tirade Against GOP Senator Who Sponsored Stock-Trading Ban Gets Second Look Amid Insider Trading Allegations

LEFT: Donald Trump (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) RIGHT: Josh Hawley (Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images)

President Donald Trump’s tirade against Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) last year is getting a second look amid renewed attention on his stock-trading habits.

Trump’s portfolio is the subject of scrutiny at the moment after reports he filed with the Office of Government Ethics revealed that he conducted between $220 and $750 million in stock market transactions in the first quarter of 2026.

The president himself called for a congressional stock-trading ban during his State of the Union address earlier this year, but had previously objected to a ban advanced by Hawley that would have applied to the presidency as well — even though the Missouri senator had secured a de facto exemption for Trump.

“Why would one ‘Republican,’ Senator Josh Hawley from the Great State of Missouri, join with all of the Democrats to block a Review, sponsored by Senator Rick Scott, and with the support of almost all other Republicans, of Nancy Pelosi’s Stock Trading over the last 25 years,” wondered Trump in a Truth Social post last July. “The information was inappropriately released just minutes before the Vote — Very much like SABOTAGE! The Democrats, because of our tremendous ACHIEVEMENTS and SUCCESS, have been trying to ‘Target’ me for a long period of time, and they’re using Josh Hawley, who I got elected TWICE, as a pawn to help them. I wonder why Hawley would pass a Bill that Nancy Pelosi is in absolute love with — He is playing right into the dirty hands of the Democrats. It’s a great Bill for her, and her ‘husband,’ but so bad for our Country! I don’t think real Republicans want to see their President, who has had unprecedented success, TARGETED, because of the ‘whims’ of a second-tier Senator named Josh Hawley!”

NBC News reported on the disagreement at the time:

Tensions between Hawley and Republican leaders reached a boiling point late last month when he teamed up with Democrats to advance a ban on congressional stock trading.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., the chair of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee and an opponent of stock trading bans, granted Hawley the opportunity to mark up his bill, dubbed the Preventing Elected Leaders from Owning Securities and Investments — or PELOSI — Act. But Paul said he would not support it, requiring Hawley to work with Democrats. Hawley joined forces with Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., the ranking member on the panel, but did not consult with fellow Republicans or the White House before he did so, three people familiar with the episode recalled.

“I can imagine he’s not on their nice list,” a Republican senator told NBC News when asked how the White House views Hawley.

Hawley and Peters reached a compromise under which the legislation would no longer be labeled the “PELOSI Act” and the ban would also apply to presidents and vice presidents. (Hawley secured a tweak that would delay implementation for officials until the start of their next terms, effectively exempting President Donald Trump.) The bill advanced with unified Democratic support plus Hawley’s vote.

“The president just endorsed it at the White House,” Hawley told NBC News after reporters asked Trump about the bill. But moments later, Trump lashed out.

In a statement about Trump’s activity in the market, The Trump Organization asserted that “Neither President Trump, his family, nor The Trump Organization plays any role in selecting, directing, or approving specific investments. They receive no advance notice of trading activity and provide no input regarding investment decisions or portfolio management of any kind.”

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