Booker Asked About Claim
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) declined to confirm whether Democrats possess any concrete evidence of financial profiteering tied to President Donald Trump’s tariff maneuverings, despite mounting calls from within his party for a congressional probe into potential insider trading.
Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press Sunday, Booker faced direct questioning from moderator Kristen Welker regarding recent Democratic demands for investigations into Trump’s financial entanglements.
These follow a controversial social media post by Trump that read, “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!”—a statement made shortly before he announced a temporary 90-day pause on broad tariff increases, excluding China. The sequence of events coincided with a notable Wall Street rebound, prompting suspicions among some lawmakers.
Welker pressed Booker repeatedly on whether there is any verified evidence that members of Trump’s administration, or the president himself, financially benefited from the tariff announcements. Booker, while sharply critical of Trump’s leadership and approach to federal oversight, did not cite specific evidence.
Instead, he focused on what he characterized as systemic dysfunction and a lack of accountability within the executive branch, accusing Trump of undermining independent oversight by staffing agencies with loyalists rather than qualified personnel.
“Trump has designed an administration like none we’ve ever seen before,” Booker stated, warning that the system of checks and balances is eroding.
When Welker followed up for clarification—twice asking if there’s evidence of profiteering—Booker continued to advocate for congressional hearings. He described the situation as having “enough smoke” to warrant a formal investigation and emphasized the constitutional duty of Congress to exercise oversight.
Booker stopped short of validating the underlying premise of the insider trading allegations, framing the investigation instead as a necessary step to restore trust in government institutions.
“Not to have hearings, not to do any kind of oversight, undermines the faith we have in our government,” he concluded.