Despite the strong support many Republicans in Congress have shown for Donald Trump, few of them are willing to invest in his latest venture, Trump Media & Technology Group. Only two lawmakers, Rep. Larry Bucshon and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, have reported buying stock in the company, with Greene appearing to have already sold her shares. The data on lawmakers’ stock trades was obtained from three websites that monitor such transactions, and Forbes verified the information by reviewing the disclosures submitted to the House Clerk.
Greene purchased between $15,000 and $50,000 worth of shares in Digital World Acquisition Corp., the SPAC that merged with Trump’s firm, shortly after the merger announcement in October 2021. However, the value of her holdings dropped significantly by the end of the year, and by 2022, her shares had disappeared altogether. Greene did not report selling the shares or explain their disappearance, leaving some ambiguity as to what happened to them.
One possible explanation for the disappearance of Greene’s stock is that the value may have dropped below the reporting threshold of $1,000, which would have made it unnecessary for her to report owning or selling them. Another possibility is that the shares were transferred to an account for her ex-husband or their children following their divorce in 2022. While Greene did not confirm this, a comment in her 2022 disclosure hinted at changes in ownership due to a change in marital status.
Bucshon, the other lawmaker who purchased shares in Digital World, made a more straightforward transaction by buying $1,000 to $15,000 worth of the company in his Roth IRA shortly after the merger announcement. Unlike Greene, Bucshon still appears to own his shares, and Digital World was the only individual stock in his portfolio at the end of 2022. This transaction was the first stock trade he reported since selling his stake in Apple in 2013.
Both Greene and Bucshon have remained tight-lipped about their investments in Trump Media & Technology Group, with spokespeople for the lawmakers declining to comment on the matter. Despite being known for her support of Trump, Greene’s quick sale of her shares and lack of disclosure on their whereabouts has raised questions about the transparency of congressional stock transactions and the potential ethical implications of lawmakers investing in companies tied to political figures.
