is Trump manipulating?

Hi Global Recap readers,

Buckle up, because I’ve got a spicy one for you today.

If you’ve been glued to the news like I have, you’ve probably caught wind of Trump’s latest pivot on tariffs. But here’s what you might not have heard—suspicious stock trades went down right before that announcement hit. We're talking potential gains as high as 2,100%.

And remember that so-called “fake news” that sent the markets soaring just the day before? Yeah, I’m not so sure it was fake. It might’ve been a strategic leak—a way to gauge the reaction before dropping the actual bombshell.

Tinfoil or not? You decide.

🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Trump’s Tariff Pause Shakes Markets

Out of the blue, President Trump slammed the brakes on his global tariff blitz—well, kind of. Most countries are getting a 90-day breather with a baseline 10% rate, but China? Their tariffs just shot through the roof.

The Big Reversal

Trump announced a 90-day pause on his “reciprocal” tariffs for nearly 60 countries.

• Tariffs on Chinese imports jumped to a huge 125% after Beijing retaliated with its own 84 percent levies.

• Trump’s post on Truth Social promised a “substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff” of 10 percent for most trading partners.

• The S&P 500 soared over 9 percent after the announcement, marking its best day since the 2008 financial crisis.

Why the Change?

The market meltdown seems to have spooked Trump into action.

• He admitted the recent downturn made him reconsider, saying, “It looked pretty glum… People were getting yippy.”

• Economists had been sounding alarms about a potential recession, and bond markets were in freefall.

• But it might not be the stock market he was concerned about. Trump said: “I was watching the bond market; the bond market’s very tricky, but if you look at it now, it’s beautiful.”

China Stays in the Crosshairs

While most countries get a breather, Trump’s trade war with China rages on.

• Beijing slapped export controls on 12 US companies and added six more to its “unreliable entities” list.

• Trump hinted he’s waiting for a call from Xi Jinping to strike a deal, saying, “China wants to make a deal. They just don’t know quite how to go about it.”

Market Manipulation?

What’s baffling about all this, of course, is the so-called “fake news” I mentioned earlier—the rumor that Trump was eyeing a 90-day tariff pause. That rumor sent stocks soaring, only for them to crash when the White House dismissed it as bogus.

But now, it’s starting to look like the White House was floating a trial balloon—testing the market’s response before actually making a move.

Trump

In the morning, Trump dropped a cryptic post on Truth Social. At first, no one really knew what to make of it, and the market barely blinked—business as usual.

Sus Timing

Just moments before Trump made his announcement, someone placed bold bets on the market—opening call options on $SPY (S&P 500 ETF) and $QQQ (NASDAQ ETF).

• The $SPY calls were set to expire that very day—a high-risk, high-reward move that only makes sense if you’re expecting a major swing.

• And sure enough, they paid off big: those options shot up 2,100% in just one hour.

Yeah, someone knew something.

Bessent

According to Treasury Secretary Bessent, he spoke with President Trump over the weekend and came away saying this had been the plan all along.

• But here’s the thing—we already knew Bessent was down at Mar-a-Lago that weekend, and plenty of people, myself included, figured he was there to talk Trump out of his hardline stance on the tariff war.

• Additionally, a $39 billion auction of 10-Year Treasury bonds took place today. Hmm…

• Personally, I think Bessent showed up to warn Trump about the bond markets and the mess they could unleash if things kept heading south. But hey, everyone’s got their own read on it.

📊 Poll

So, what’s your take? Does this feel like market manipulation to you?

Some people are arguing that it’s not, pointing out that Trump told everyone on Truth Social to buy in, so if the accusations hold water, it wasn’t just the insiders who cashed in.

🇫🇷 FRANCE
France Eyes
Palestinian State Recognition

French President Emmanuel Macron has hinted that France might officially recognize Palestine as a state by June, potentially shaking up Middle Eastern diplomacy.

Macron’s Big Announcement

Macron didn’t hold back during a recent interview on France 5.

• He said, “We need to move towards recognition (of a Palestinian state). And so over the next few months, we will.”

• Macron emphasized that this decision isn’t about pleasing anyone but doing what’s “right.”

• He also suggested that this move could encourage some Middle Eastern countries to recognize Israel in return.

The Current Landscape

While nearly 150 countries already recognize Palestine as a sovereign state, most major Western powers—including the US, UK, France, Germany, and Japan—haven’t taken that step.

• On the other side, countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen don’t recognize Israel.

• Macron’s plan involves hosting a conference with Saudi Arabia in June to push for “reciprocal recognition” between nations.

🇺🇦 UKRAINE
More Chinese Mercenaries

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed recently that his military captured two Chinese men fighting alongside Russia. But wait, there’s more:

More Chinese soldiers are on the battlefield. More than 150.

Zelenskyy’s Bombshell

• Zelenskyy says Ukraine has intel on 155 Chinese mercenaries, including names, passport numbers, and personal details.

• According to him, Beijing might know about these recruits, but he stopped short of directly accusing the Chinese government.

• He even suggested a trade: the two captured Chinese fighters in exchange for Ukrainian soldiers held by Russia.

China’s Strong Denial

Beijing wasn’t too thrilled about this revelation and called it “totally unfounded.”

• Chinese officials insist they’ve warned their citizens to stay far away from conflict zones and refrain from joining any military operations.

• Their message? If these guys joined Russia, they did it on their own.

Shades of a Proxy War

This new information reveals just how international this war has become.

• China’s cozy relationship with Russia has been making headlines for a while. It’s reportedly selling machinery and microelectronics—dual-use goods that can be turned into weapons.

• Meanwhile, the US, Europe, and their allies continue to back Ukraine with military and economic support.

• If the Chinese really are fighting alongside the Russians, then Putin can’t seriously claim that NATO troops on the battlefield are out of bounds. If he’s getting backup, why shouldn’t Zelenskyy?

  • The concern critics might raise is that this could escalate the war into a full-blown global conflict.

Global Reactions

World leaders are weighing in, and surprise, surprise—everyone’s pointing fingers.

• US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce found the reports “disturbing,” adding that China’s tech and supply chain aid makes it a “major enabler” of Russia’s war efforts.

• Trump’s Ukraine-Russia envoy, Keith Kellogg, is skeptical, saying early reports about Chinese fighters may just be about volunteers or mercenaries.

• The EU chimed in too, calling China a “key enabler” of the conflict by letting dual-use goods flow into Russia.

🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Sudden Foreign Aid Reinstatement

Speaking of backpedaling, the Trump administration is reportedly reversing course on its recent foreign aid cuts, bringing back some emergency food assistance programs after catching heat for slashing them.

The Reversal

Just days after slashing over $1.3 billion in foreign aid, the administration is restoring at least six programs for emergency food assistance.

• USAID Acting Deputy Administrator Jeremy Lewin sent an internal email asking staff to reverse the terminations.

• Awards to the World Food Programme (WFP) in Lebanon, Syria, Somalia, Jordan, Iraq, and Ecuador are back on the table.

• The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment about restoring the awards.

Why the Change?

Pressure from inside the administration and Congress seems to have forced the reversal.

• Lewin admitted in his email: “Sorry for all the back and forth on awards… That’s my fault and I take responsibility.”

• The cuts had sparked outrage, with advocacy groups calling them a “death sentence” for millions facing starvation.

What’s Still Cut?

Not all aid is being restored. Programs for Afghanistan and Yemen remain terminated due to concerns about funds benefiting the Taliban and Houthi militants.

• The US has been the largest aid donor to both countries, which have suffered years of devastating war.

• WFP funding for Yemen and Afghanistan was flagged for potentially aiding extremist groups.

The Bigger Picture

This chaos is part of Trump’s broader effort to overhaul USAID, the main US humanitarian aid agency.

• Since his second term began, billions in foreign aid have been canceled, leaving international operations in disarray.

• Senate Democrats are pushing back, calling the restructuring of USAID “unconstitutional, illegal, unjustified, damaging, and inefficient.”