Marjorie Taylor Greene has once again demonstrated her uncanny ability to sniff out profit opportunities faster than a bloodhound. But Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez saw right through Greene’s antics.
At a “Fight Oligarchy” event with Bernie Sanders, AOC went straight for the jugular. Speaking to a crowd of fired-up progressives, she called Greene out in no uncertain terms. “We saw Marjorie Taylor Greene buy that dip,” she said. “How much did you make off of people’s despair? How much did you make off of that panic? How much did you make off of that suffering? No more. We can’t accept it.” It was a moment that perfectly captured what so many Americans have been feeling for years: frustration, anger, and exhaustion with a system that seems rigged in favor of the powerful.
The controversy centers around Donald Trump’s chaotic tariff policy, which sent the stock market into a tailspin before sharply rebounding. On April 2, Trump announced sweeping tariffs on Chinese imports, coupled with reciprocal tariffs on goods from other countries. Wall Street reacted with panic, and over two days, the market lost $6.6 trillion in value, marking one of the worst plunges in U.S. history. Just days later, on April 9, Trump reversed course, declaring a 90-day pause on the reciprocal tariffs.
This reversal, announced alongside his now-infamous Truth Social post, “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!,” sent the markets into a frenzy, with the Nasdaq surging 12% and the S&P 500 climbing 10%, marking one of the largest rebounds since World War II. While everyday investors were scrambling to recover from the chaos, Greene’s financial disclosures show she was making moves that raised eyebrows. Greene reportedly dumped between $50,000 and $100,000 in U.S. Treasury bills just before the market tanked. Then, during the rebound, she purchased between $21,000 and $315,000 worth of stocks, including shares in Apple, Devon Energy, and Advanced Micro Devices—all of which saw significant gains following Trump’s tariff pause. Notably, she also bought Palantir, which has since surged by 19%.
When questioned about the trades, Greene denied any wrongdoing, stating that her investments are managed by a financial advisor. “I have signed a fiduciary agreement to allow my financial advisor to control my investments. All of my investments are reported with full transparency,” Greene said in a statement. Her spokesperson dismissed any accusations of impropriety as “utterly absurd.” But the timing of the trades has drawn intense scrutiny. Greene claims she has no direct involvement in her portfolio, but critics argue that her position as a lawmaker grants her access to sensitive information that influences market behavior. Even if she didn’t personally direct the trades, the optics are undeniably bad. After all, how many Americans had the foresight—or the means—to perfectly time the market like Greene’s portfolio appears to have done?
AOC isn’t alone in calling out Greene. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also weighed in, calling Greene “Exhibit A” in a system he described as rife with “crooks, liars, and frauds.” Speaking to Jen Psaki in an interview, Jeffries said, “We are seeing corruption unfold before us in real time.” Like AOC, he called for a ban on stock trading by lawmakers, a reform that has bipartisan support among voters but faces resistance within Congress itself.
Published: Apr 15, 2025 10:08 am