Trump Media stock plummets as expert warns of possible securities fraud: reports

Former President Donald Trump's Truth Social stock continued to circle the drain Monday as financial experts warned he may have broken the law trying to prop up the price.

Trump Media shares lost 8 percent Monday after losing 12 percent Friday, according to an analysis from Boston's NPR station WBUR.

After the completed merger with "blank check firm" Digital World Acquisition Corp., the stock soared to over $66 a share then fell when news broke that Truth Social lost $58 million in 2023.

Trump went online on Thursday to talk up the strength of Truth Social's stock, which could be a legal problem for him, a financial expert told Newsweek.

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"A false statement of 'material' information is securities fraud," Michael Klausner, Professor of Law at Stanford Law School, told Newsweek. The professor warned it could be a case of "pumping."

Klausner warned this could be seen as illegal by the Securities and Exchange Commission if it's not true, and Trump could be investigated for a so-called "pump and dump" scheme, where someone deliberately hypes a stock to manipulate its price and time their own cashout.

According to WBUR, "The former president owns a majority stake in the company and his stake was valued at about $2.9 billion on Monday, down from a peak of over $6 billion after its debut on its trading debut. That's still an eyebrow-raising valuation for former president's stake considering Trump Media lost $58 million last year and had revenue of just over $4 million. Under his current agreement, Trump is not allowed to sell his shares until September, but he can seek permission from Trump Media's board to unload some of his stake earlier" — with many on the board being close associates like his son, Donald Trump Jr.