Trump's SpaceX Stock Bet Sours as Shares Crash Back to $135 IPO Price After Buying at $150
TL;DR
- Viral reports alleging President Donald Trump bought SpaceX stock at around $150 two weeks after its IPO and is now down as shares fell to $135 are circulating online, but lack any credible evidence or filing.
- As of August 25, 2026, SpaceX remains a private company and has not held an IPO, making a public market purchase at any IPO price impossible.
- SpaceX shares are only available via private secondary markets and pre-IPO platforms, where valuations are not tied to a $135 public IPO price.
The Viral Claim That Sparked a Frenzy
Social media posts and unverified reports have claimed that President Donald Trump made a well-timed bet on SpaceX, scooping up shares roughly two weeks after what was described as a blockbuster initial public offering in the mid-$150 range. According to the narrative, the timing quickly soured, with SpaceX stock tumbling back to its alleged $135 IPO price by Monday's close, leaving the position underwater.
The story spread rapidly because it combined two high-interest topics: presidential investing and one of the most anticipated IPOs in tech history. On its face, it paints a dramatic picture of a high-profile investor buying the dip only to be caught in a sharp pullback. However, the core premise of the story collapses under basic fact-checking.
Fact-Check: Has SpaceX Actually Gone Public?
No. As of Monday, August 25, 2026, SpaceX is still a private company.
There has been no SpaceX IPO, no public listing on the NYSE or Nasdaq, no SEC S-1 filing declared effective, and no official $135 IPO price. SpaceX continues to operate as a private entity led by Elon Musk, with funding coming from private capital raises, insider tender offers, and secondary sales.
While speculation about a potential SpaceX or Starlink IPO has circulated for years, the company has not announced a date, pricing, or underwriters for a public debut. Any chart or ticker claiming to show SpaceX public stock performance from an IPO in 2026 is fabricated or misrepresenting private market data as public market data.
What About Buying SpaceX Stock at $150?
Because SpaceX is private, it is impossible for anyone, including President Trump, to have bought SpaceX shares on the public market at $150 two weeks after an IPO.
Investors can gain exposure to SpaceX only through limited, indirect channels. That includes private secondary marketplaces where accredited investors trade pre-IPO shares, special purpose vehicles, or funds that hold SpaceX equity. Prices on those platforms are negotiated privately, are often illiquid, and do not correspond to a public IPO price. They also require extensive disclosure and would not be reflected as a standard brokerage trade at $150 per share.
There are no public financial disclosures, SEC Form 4 filings, or credible reporting from major financial news outlets confirming any such purchase by President Trump. The White House has not announced the transaction, and no regulatory filing supports it.
Deconstructing the $135 to $150 Price Narrative
The claim relies on specific numbers - a $135 IPO price and a mid-$150 purchase price - to create an illusion of precision and a calculable loss of roughly 10% in two weeks.
In reality, SpaceX's private valuation is typically discussed in terms of overall company valuation and price per share in private funding rounds, not a public IPO price. Its last reported private valuations have been in the hundreds of billions of dollars, with private share prices varying widely depending on the platform, share class, and timing of tender offers. There is no official closing price of $135 on Monday because there is no public closing price to track.
If SpaceX were to IPO, a drop from $150 to $135 would represent a significant but not unusual post-IPO pullback, often driven by profit-taking, valuation concerns, and lock-up expirations. But applying that public-market logic to a private company is misleading.
Why This Rumor Is Spreading Now
SpaceX remains one of the most valuable and closely watched private companies in the world, and anticipation for a future IPO is at an all-time high. That anticipation makes it a prime target for misinformation, engagement bait, and AI-generated market commentary.
Similar false claims have previously circulated involving other high-profile figures and pre-IPO companies, often using realistic-sounding price points and timelines to appear legitimate. With no public ticker to easily verify, many readers have no quick way to disprove the claim without checking SpaceX's private status directly.
The Bottom Line for Investors
There is no evidence that President Trump bought SpaceX shares at $150, and there is no SpaceX public stock to have fallen to $135. As of August 25, 2026, SpaceX has not gone public.
Anyone interested in investing in SpaceX should be extremely cautious of platforms or posts claiming to offer public SpaceX stock or showing public price charts. Legitimate pre-IPO exposure is limited to accredited investors through regulated secondary platforms and carries significant risk, illiquidity, and lack of transparency compared to public equities. Until SpaceX files for and completes a real IPO, any report of its public share price performance should be treated as false.
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