WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump urged federal authorities on Wednesday to investigate former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi over alleged insider trading, accusing her of benefiting financially from access to government information during her time in office. Trump’s comments come as legislation to restrict trading by elected officials gains traction in the Senate.
Speaking at a White House press conference, Trump referenced the Pelosi family’s stock portfolio, which reportedly outperformed most hedge funds in 2024. “Nancy Pelosi became rich by having inside information,” he said. “She made a fortune with her husband, and I think that’s disgraceful.”
Trump continued, “She has the highest return of anybody practically in the history of Wall Street, save a few. And how did that happen? It happened by she knows exactly what’s gonna happen, what’s gonna be announced, she buys stock, and then the stock goes up after the announcement’s made. And she ought to be investigated.”
Pelosi dismissed the accusation during an interview on CNN, calling Trump’s remarks “ridiculous.” She maintained that she supports banning stock trading for lawmakers and claimed she has not engaged in wrongdoing. “I very much support [stopping] the trading of members of Congress, not that I think anybody’s doing anything wrong. If they are, they are prosecuted, and they go to jail,” she said.
She added, “I’m not into it, my husband is, but it isn’t anything to do with anything insider.”
The debate comes as Sen. Josh Hawley’s legislation to prohibit trading by members of Congress, as well as the president and vice president, advanced in a Senate committee. To gain Democratic support, Hawley expanded the bill to include executive branch officials. The measure was supported by Democrats and Hawley, while the rest of the Republicans on the panel opposed it. It now heads to the full Senate, where Republicans hold a 53-seat majority.
Although Trump said earlier in the day he “conceptually” supports the idea of banning lawmakers from trading stocks, he later criticized Hawley for siding with Democrats on the bill. On social media, Trump accused Hawley of blocking a separate review sponsored by Sen. Rick Scott that would have focused on Pelosi’s stock history over the past 25 years.
Pelosi, meanwhile, publicly endorsed the legislation. “We must have strong transparency, robust accountability and tough enforcement for financial conduct in office,” she said in a statement. “The American people deserve confidence that their elected leaders are serving the public interest — not their personal portfolios.”
