Trump Bought Up to $5M in SpaceX Bonds Two Days Before Space Launch Order

Trump's financial disclosure shows a purchase of $1–5 million in SpaceX senior unsecured notes on Aug. 18, two days before he signed a memorandum to expedite commercial launches toward 1,000 U.S. launches annually by 2030. Presidents are exempt from the main federal conflict-of-interest statute, raising transparency concerns.

• SpaceX bonds bought Aug. 18 carry a 5.35% rate and mature in July 2031
• The Aug. 20 memo targets 1,000 U.S. launches and reentries a year by 2030
• The U.S. logged 178 launches in the prior year, about 170 by SpaceX
• Trump's August filing recorded 517 trades worth $74.3M–$273.3M