• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Today, Emily Blunt is worth $80 million thanks to her Hollywood career—but she actually wanted to be a UN Spanish translator on $80K

1

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch

2

MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year

3

Today, Emily Blunt is worth $80 million thanks to her Hollywood career—but she actually wanted to be a UN Spanish translator on $80K
FinanceDonald Trump

Top Truth Social execs—including the CEO—are shedding stock before Trump even can

Sydney Lake
By
Sydney Lake
Sydney Lake
Associate Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
Sydney Lake
By
Sydney Lake
Sydney Lake
Associate Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 30, 2024, 3:31 PM ET
Donald Trump can’t sell his Truth Social shares because of a lockup rule.
Donald Trump can’t sell his Truth Social shares because of a lockup rule.Emily Elconin—Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Donald Trump is in need of a massive payday to cover his legal expenses and presidential campaign, but he can’t tap into his Truth Social stock. At least not quite yet. 

Recommended Video

In late March, the former president’s social media company started trading on the Nasdaq soon after Trump Media & Technology Group merged with a blank-check company called Digital World Acquisition Corp. Truth Social launched in February 2022 after Trump was banned from Facebook and X as a consequence of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol. While he’s since been reinstated on both platforms, he’s stuck to his own, although his company isn’t performing as well as when it first launched.

Since its inception, Truth Social has seen its share price plummet for the most part. After soaring to $57.99 per share at launch, it’s worth just $19.60 per share, valuing the company at just over $3.8 billion. That means Trump’s payday—if he chooses to sell off his majority stake—will be much smaller than anticipated earlier this year.

“Truth Social is tanking because it is essentially a meme stock,” Robert R. Johnson, a finance professor at Creighton University and author of The Tools and Techniques of Investment Planning, Strategic Value Investing, and Investment Banking for Dummies, told Fortune. “The stock price of Truth Social is unconnected to the reality of the financials of the firm. In the first quarter of 2024, the firm lost $327 million on revenues of only $770,500. These aren’t numbers that remotely support the current stock price, much less the atmospheric values—nearly $80—that the stock hit in late March.”

How much Truth Social stock does Trump own, and when can he sell it?

Trump owns a $2.3 billion stake in Trump Media & Technology Group, which trades under the ticker DJT (also his initials), but he can’t liquidate any of it until Sept. 25, according to SEC filings. That’s because of a lockup period rule, which prevents insiders from immediately selling once a company goes public. 

But Trump could sell off his shares five days earlier if Trump Media’s share price equals or exceeds $12 for any 20 trading days within a 30-day trading period starting Aug. 22. If the stock price stays steady, that means Trump’s restrictions could lift as soon as Sept. 20.

While Trump isn’t able to start selling his shares yet, some other insiders have started shedding their stake in the company. Trump Media’s chief financial officer and treasurer, Phillip Juhan, disclosed last week he’s selling $1.9 million worth of stock, according to SEC filings. Trump Media’s general counsel, Scott Glabe, chief operating officer Andrew Northwall, and chief technology officer Vladimir Novachki each sold shares as well, according to Aug. 22 SEC filings. Devin Nunes, a former Republican congressman and Trump Media’s president and CEO, also sold off $632,000 worth of stock last Thursday.

While it’s not necessarily uncommon for executives to sell some of their stake in a company, selling at a loss—which they did—can be an indicator of trouble ahead. 

“Since selling a stock at a loss is painful, an investor who sells at a loss must have particularly negative information,” Peter Kelly, a finance professor at the University of Notre Dame, wrote in a 2018 paper published by Oxford Academic. “And what you see is when stocks are sold at a loss, it predicts negative returns.”

Would Trump really sell his DJT shares?

While Trump is still sitting on a nice chunk of change, it’s somewhat unlikely that he’d sell his entire stake in the company for some cash flow. That’s largely because it could end up tanking the stock even further. 

“Speculators in Truth Social would likely see a sizable loss in wealth as Trump sells off some of his position in the firm,” Johnson said. 

And that wouldn’t be in Trump’s interest, since many shareholders are also his political supporters who could get burned by a massive selloff. 

“If Trump were to sell a large number of shares and the stock price tanks, to some degree he would be burning his own supporters who bought the stock,” Jay Ritter, a finance professor at the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business, told CNN. “Politically, that may not play out real well for him.”

While all eyes will be on Trump come late September in terms of whether he’ll choose to sell any stock, the time to really watch Trump Media stock will be around the time of the election.

“The case for speculating—note, I say speculating and not investing—in Truth Social is that Trump wins the presidency and the social media platform gains popularity and is able to create a sustainable business model,” Johnson said. “The stock is under pressure as those prospects have dimmed with the recent surge in popularity of the Democratic ticket.” As of Friday, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris held a slim margin over Trump, according to a Wall Street Journal poll. 

About the Author
Sydney Lake
By Sydney LakeAssociate Editor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Sydney Lake is an associate editor at Fortune, where she writes and edits news for the publication's global news desk.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

Best private student loans for medical school
Personal Financestudent loans and debt
Best private student loans for medical school
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 2, 2026
6 hours ago
Michael Burry just shorted Caterpillar’s 172% AI rally. One analyst says his bet won’t even matter
Investingstock prices
Michael Burry just shorted Caterpillar’s 172% AI rally. One analyst says his bet won’t even matter
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 2, 2026
7 hours ago
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent
EconomyDebt
AI’s $2.2 trillion deficit fix is already half fake, economists say
By Tristan BoveJuly 2, 2026
8 hours ago
s
Personal FinanceSports
The sports economy is unaffordable at the bar, let alone the stadium
By Catherina GioinoJuly 2, 2026
8 hours ago
sb
North AmericaU.S. Department of the Treasury
Scott Bessent goes after the top Mexican cartel’s new billion-dollar business: gas stations
By Fatima Hussein and The Associated PressJuly 2, 2026
8 hours ago
eggs
LawAntitrust
Egg companies made $1.22 billion in profit off a $6 carton — now they’re buying their way out of a price-fixing case with 53 million donated eggs
By Wyatte Grantham-Philips and The Associated PressJuly 2, 2026
9 hours ago

Most Popular

As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
Big Tech
As Big Tech showers employees with perks to win the talent war, Nvidia built a nearly $5 trillion company by making people pay for their own lunch
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJuly 1, 2026
2 days ago
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
Success
MacKenzie Scott alone accounted for one-third of America's $19.2 billion in megagifts last year
By Sydney LakeJune 25, 2026
8 days ago
Today, Emily Blunt is worth $80 million thanks to her Hollywood career—but she actually wanted to be a UN Spanish translator on $80K
Success
Today, Emily Blunt is worth $80 million thanks to her Hollywood career—but she actually wanted to be a UN Spanish translator on $80K
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJuly 2, 2026
20 hours ago
Mark Zuckerberg feeds his cows macadamia nuts and beer to create the 'highest-quality beef in the world' on his $300 million estate in Hawaii
Success
Mark Zuckerberg feeds his cows macadamia nuts and beer to create the 'highest-quality beef in the world' on his $300 million estate in Hawaii
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 2, 2026
10 hours ago
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 1, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 1, 2026
2 days ago
Americans are escaping the U.S. for New Zealand where house prices have hit a new low—but only wealthy Americans with $3 million spare can invest
Success
Americans are escaping the U.S. for New Zealand where house prices have hit a new low—but only wealthy Americans with $3 million spare can invest
By Emma BurleighJuly 2, 2026
12 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.