Trump's Secret Oil Trades Exposed as Ceasefire Fails to Boost Crude Prices

President Donald Trump's investment accounts sold between $500,000 and $1 million of ExxonMobil stock on April 7, a day after announcing a ceasefire in the Iran war. This transaction was one of hundreds of thousands of dollars in purchases and sales involving oil and gas companies during the first half of 2026.

The sale came hours before Exxon shares opened 6.5% lower, closing at $163.91 on April 7 and opening at $153.52 the following morning. Trump's accounts had made roughly 3,600 stock and securities trades worth between $212 million and $695 million during the first quarter alone.

ExxonMobil and Chevron ultimately earned a combined $26.5 billion in the second quarter as the Iran war and disruption to oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz drove crude prices and refining margins sharply higher. Exxon reported $14.5 billion in net income, more than double its year-earlier profit and its best result in four years.

The White House said Trump does not direct the trades, which are managed independently by third-party financial institutions using computer-based model portfolios. Trump's energy holdings remain a small portion of his estimated $6 billion fortune.