Trump Media plummets to new low on the first trading day the former president can sell his shares

2025-04-20 09:58:54 source: category:Scams

Shares of Trump Media & Technology Group slumped to their lowest level ever at the opening bell Friday, the first trading day that its biggest shareholder, former President Donald Trump, is free to sell his stake in the company behind the Truth Social platform.

Shares of Trump Media, commonly called TMTG, tumbled almost 7% to $13.73, putting the value of the company at less than $3 billion. Trump owns more than half of it.

Trump and other insiders in the company have been unable to cash in on the highly volatile stock due standard lock-up agreements that prevent big stakeholders from selling stakes for a set period after a company becomes publicly traded. TMTG began trading publicly in March.

Trump owns nearly 115 million shares of the company, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Based on TMTG’s share price early Friday, Trump’s holdings are worth, at least on paper, about $1.6 billion. It’s usually not in the best interest of big stakeholders to even attempt to sell large tranches of their stock because it could risk a broader sell-off.

Since going public, shares in Trump Media have gyrated wildly, often depending on news related to Trump, the Republican presidential nominee.

RELATED COVERAGE Harris focusing on personal stories as she campaigns on abortion rights Congress scrambles to ensure safety of presidential candidates in final weeks of campaign Voters split on whether Harris or Trump would do a better job on the economy: AP-NORC poll

One week ago, the company’s shares jumped nearly 12% after Trump said he wouldn’t sell shares when the lock-up period lifted. The stock dipped more than 10% following the debate earlier this month between Trump and the Democrats’ nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris. In mid-July, shares climbed more than 31% in the first day of trading following the first assassination attempt on Trump.

Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. is now worth considerably less than several months ago. When the company made its debut on the Nasdaq in March, shares hit a high of $79.38.

Truth Social came into existence after he was banned from Twitter and Facebook following the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Based in Sarasota, Florida, Trump Media has been losing money and struggling to raise revenue. It lost nearly $58.2 million last year while generating only $4.1 million in revenue, according to regulatory filings.

More:Scams

Recommend

PHOTO COLLECTION: AP Top Photos of the Day Wednesday August 7, 2024

This is a collection of photos chosen by AP photo editors.

Justice Department, Louisville reach deal after probe prompted by Breonna Taylor killing

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department and the city of Louisville have reached an agreem

'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal

Spoiler alert! We're discussing important plot points and the ending of “Kraven the Hunter” (in thea