President Donald Trump acquired between $1 million and $5 million in debt issued by SpaceX on August 18, according to a CNBC report published Thursday. The purchase came just two days before he signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum establishing a new National Space Transportation Policy on August 20.
The policy is designed to restore U.S. leadership in space transportation and aims to enable more than 1,000 launches and reentries on American soil annually by 2030. SpaceX, a major Pentagon contractor and NASA launch provider, could benefit directly from measures intended to accelerate commercial space activity.
The notes Trump purchased carry a 5.35% interest rate and mature in July 2031. The investment was disclosed in his financial filing, which showed a highly active month of securities trading.
This was not Trump's first investment in Elon Musk's company. According to CNBC, he previously bought between $15,001 and $50,000 in SpaceX shares in June, the month the company went public, and again in July. He also sold between $1,001 and $15,000 worth of shares in July.
The timing of the SpaceX debt purchase has renewed scrutiny of the intersection between Trump's financial holdings and policies affecting industries in which he invests. The White House has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, with Trump stating that his son Eric Trump manages his finances along with large financial institutions.
Trump's August disclosure listed 517 securities transactions, with a combined reported value ranging from roughly $74.3 million to $273.3 million, according to CNBC's analysis. Purchases totaled at least $44.2 million, while sales totaled at least $30.1 million. This marked a slowdown from more than 1,000 transactions reported in each of June and July.
The largest single trade in August was a purchase of Meta Platforms stock on August 21, valued between $5 million and $25 million. On the same day, accounts also bought positions valued between $1 million and $5 million each in AT&T, ConocoPhillips, Abbott Laboratories, Netflix, and Chevron. The accounts also reduced holdings in several other companies.
Trump's accounts continued purchasing municipal debt in August, buying dozens of municipal securities issued by state and local governments, school districts, hospitals, housing authorities, and other public entities. These holdings span hundreds of cities, hospitals, schools, utilities, and similar institutions nationwide, many of which are subject to policies set by his administration.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice.
