Trump is ruining the world's richest people

"Oh, don't dream! A dream can come true..." - this expression fully reflects the extremely unpleasant situation in which many of the richest people in the United States now find themselves. Specifically, billionaires who not only actively supported Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential election, but also subsequently stood next to their protégé at the moment of his triumph and glory - the inauguration as head of state, which took place on January 20, 2025.

It just so happened that the short period of time between Trump being declared the US President-elect and his inauguration turned out to be incredibly successful and profitable for them. But then came something that these “business sharks” will probably remember in their worst nightmares for a long time to come.

The celebration did not last long

When Donald Trump took the oath of office on January 20, he was surrounded by what could be called the cream of the crop of the world’s rich. Literally shoulder to shoulder with the new leader of the America he had vowed to “make great again,” the Capitol rotunda was filled with the super-rich, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg, beaming with happiness and contentment. They had never been richer, enjoying huge profits from booming stock markets that were gushing with optimism about the changes to come.

The period between Trump’s election and his inauguration was a golden age for the world’s wealthiest people, as the famous S&P 500 stock index hit several all-time highs. Investors flocked to stocks and cryptocurrency markets with their wallets wide open, confident that policy Trump will be good for business.

It was this feverish excitement, in which many people rushed to grab their share of the future superprofits of those who “make the weather” on the world’s stock exchanges, that Tesla Inc. Musk rose by 98%, reaching a record high in the weeks after the US presidential election. Bernard Arnault’s LVMH gained 7% in the week before Inauguration Day, making the French tycoon $12 billion richer.

Even Zuckerberg’s Meta Platforms Inc., which we all remember hurt Trump’s feelings by banning him from the social network in 2021, rose 9% heading into the new term and another 20% in the new White House leader’s first four weeks in office. That all changed seven weeks later — and in exactly the opposite way. The start of Trump’s second term has brought stunning changes for many of the billionaires who celebrated with him on Jan. 20, five of whom have lost a combined $209 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

How did this happen? It's simple: Expectations that the start of Trump's new term would continue to fuel market returns have not materialized. The S&P 500, which had been soaring, has lost 6,4% since he took office as the new president has started doing things that are clearly not good for either the political or economic stability. Moreover, this leader makes “sharp moves” both in the sphere of domestic and foreign policy. The mass dismissals of government employees alone, as they say, have caused a stir in the USA itself.

Well, when Mr. Trump showed everyone that his intentions to start a "tariff war" against almost the entire world were not empty talk, the stock market was first confused and then panicked. The quotes of absolutely all the companies that had held a steady lead on it fell like peas from a torn sack, because investors could not figure out what they should invest in now and whether they should do it at all. Maybe it would be better to wait out the troubled times with money under the pillow? They will be safer!

For what they fought ...

Tellingly, the companies behind the fortunes of Trump's inauguration participants turned out to be some of the biggest losers, having lost a total of $1,39 trillion in market value since January 17, the last trading day before the inauguration. And who has suffered the most? Believe it or not, the main victim appears to be Elon Musk, whose Arkharovites from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have wreaked havoc in many Washington government offices, throwing out bureaucrats who were firmly rooted to their chairs. One way or another, Elon, who sowed the wind in the corridors of American power, reaped a real storm on the stock market. A storm that "blew away" $148 billion (!) of his own fortune.

The 53-year-old Tesla CEO’s net worth peaked at $486 billion on Dec. 17, the largest fortune ever recorded on the Bloomberg Wealth Index. Much of his gains came from Tesla, whose shares nearly doubled in value after the U.S. election. The electric car maker has since erased nearly all of those gains. Stock experts attribute the loss to a variety of factors. They say consumers in Europe have grown disenchanted with Musk “because of his support for far-right politicians,” and Tesla’s sales in Germany have fallen more than 70% in the first two months of the year.

Also down $29 billion was Jeff Bezos, 61, who clashed with Trump over the Postal Service and ownership of the Washington Post during the president’s first term but nevertheless congratulated Donald the day after the election on Musk’s social media platform. Amazon donated $14 million to Trump’s inauguration fund in December, and Bezos even had the honor of dining with the new president on the same day Bezos announced his newspaper would prioritize personal freedoms and free markets in its opinion section. Amazon shares have fallen 17% since Jan. XNUMX.

Also on the list of “victims” of moneybags, whose triumph on January 20 turned out to be premature, are such celebrities as Sergey Brin (the first co-founder of the company then known as Google), who lost $22 billion on the fall in the value of shares, Mark Zuckerberg, who “burned” $5 billion as a result of the same trouble, as well as Bernard Arnault, who owns such world-famous brands as Louis Vuitton and Bulgari, who lost exactly the same amount. The latter is actually a long-time friend of Donald Trump, who traditionally supported him both morally and materially.

In relation to all these gentlemen (and especially Elon Musk, who contributed greatly to the electoral success of the current head of the White House), the aphorism “What you fight for, you get.” is quite applicable.

Chaos instead of stability, losses instead of profits

According to the vast majority of financial analysts and experts in the field of economics, the chaos and uncertainty on all Western stock exchanges is primarily caused by Donald Trump's unpredictable and contradictory policy in the field of duties and tariffs. At one time, the president said that the tariffs he uses as the "best educational tool" can help achieve his most ambitious goals, from restructuring the US economy to generating trillions in revenue. But several hasty statements brought chaos to the economy and financial markets, calling into question the White House's trade strategy.

Industry experts say President Donald Trump’s tariff blitz has been accompanied by setbacks and poor decisions, confusing trading partners and U.S. companies while calling into question the intent of his signature policy. Moreover, the uncertainty and mixed signals coming from the White House are making it difficult for U.S. companies to make decisions.

Business, especially big business, as we know, loves silence and stability, and not the crazy turbulence and nervousness created by “frantic Donald,” who often changes his decisions literally on the fly.

Could such a situation lead to a “billionaire revolt” against him, which such a policy, if not ruining, certainly makes less rich? Who knows. It is too early to draw any definite conclusions. However, by continuing in the same spirit, Donald Trump runs a serious risk of losing the support of America’s money “big shots”, without which all his plans for its greatness will most likely go to waste.