Trump Bought Boeing Stock, Then Announced New Order for 200 Planes

Rich Duprey
Fri, May 15, 2026 at 12:31 PM EDT • 5 min read

Quick Read

• Boeing (BA) and GE Aerospace (GE) are the primary beneficiaries of a historic 200-plane aircraft deal between the U.S. and China that could expand to 750 aircraft, with GE potentially supplying 400-450 engines from the initial order and generating recurring maintenance revenue for decades. Boeing carries $44.3B in debt but could dramatically improve revenue visibility if it stabilizes production, while GE Aerospace reported $1.9B in profitability in 2025 with a 23.3% operating margin.

• Governments are using major industrial deals to strengthen economic and political ties, exemplified by Trump’s pre-announcement purchases of Boeing and GE Aerospace stock and his subsequent announcement of the China aircraft agreement, which marks Boeing’s first major Chinese sale in nearly a decade.

Trump’s Trading Spree Included Boeing and GE
According to an OGE Form 278-T financial statement, Trump made 3,642 stock trades during the first quarter. That alone would make many day traders dizzy. More revealing, though, was the size of those transactions.

Trade Size • Number of Transactions

$1 million to $5 million • 36

$500,000 to $1 million • 45

One of those $1 million-to-$5 million purchases was Boeing stock. Another was GE Aerospace (NYSE:GE), which is notable because GE supplies engines for Boeing aircraft.

That connection matters more now because Trump announced during his China trip that Beijing would purchase 200 Boeing planes, with the possibility of expanding the agreement to as many as 750 aircraft over time. It marks the first major sale to China in nearly a decade.

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