Stocks Impacted by Trump’s Comments in 2025 — From Disney to Tesla
Written by
T. Woods
Edited by
Zuri Anderson
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The word of the president of the United States comes with considerable political, social and economic impact. That’s a fact that seems all the more accurate with President Donald Trump, whose tendency towards a more freewheeling and unpredictable speaking style than previous presidents has caused considerable upheavals.
One place such impact can be most easily traced in the stock market. A direct — or even offhanded — comment by President Trump can send a company’s stock surging upward or spiraling downward. That’s something a handful of corporations discovered in 2025, in which Trump’s attention, frustration and praise helped create a rollercoaster of stock valuations.
Kenvue (Tylenol)
In September 2025, Kenvue’s stock hit a record low of approximately $16.97 per share (a dip of about 7.5%). This abrupt fall came because of the president’s controversial comments linking Tylenol (a Kenvue product) to autism, stating that pregnant women who take Tylenol increase the risk of autism in their child, per Reuters. Despite the fact that most medical evidence contradicts President Trump’s statement, Kenvue’s stock stumbled as a result.
Kenvue stock did rebound the following day, however, by approximately 6%.
Disney
September was a tumultuous month for Disney, as well. Following Jimmy Kimmel’s controversial comments regarding the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, the ABC network (which is owned by Disney) suspended Kimmel’s late-night talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, from the air.
The suspension, which was both supported and insisted upon by President Trump, created an intense backlash from the public, as well as boycotts of ABC and Disney. Despite President Trump stating that, per PBS, Disney should have “fired [Kimmel] a long time ago,” ABC ended the suspension after five days, and Jimmy Kimmel Live resumed.
Disney stock fell approximately 2% to 3% during this period, which was not enough to drop the corporation from Nasdaq’s list of stocks to “Buy.”
Cracker Barrel
Over the summer, family-style restaurant Cracker Barrel opted to change its logo — that of an older man in overalls, leaning against a barrel — for a new design featuring only the eatery’s name. The change ignited a firestorm of controversy on social media, as conservatives deemed the change to be “woke” in its abandonment of classic American signage and imagery.
No less than President Trump himself commented on the matter, stating on TruthSocial that “Cracker Barrel should go back to the old logo, admit a mistake based on customer response (the ultimate Poll) and manage the company better than ever before.”
As reported by Reuters, Cracker Barrel’s stock fell by nearly 16% in response to the controversy that President Trump helped bring to nationwide attention.
Tesla
In June of 2025, Elon Musk, the CEO of electric vehicle automaker Tesla and self-proclaimed “First Buddy” to President Trump, had a very public falling with the commander-in-chief.
Musk was sharply critical of the spending required in Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill; in response, President Trump fired back at Musk, posting on TruthSocial that Musk was “wearing thin” during his time at the White House, and that Musk and Tesla’s goal was to force “everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted,” per CNBC.
Following Trump’s angry statement, Tesla shares dropped approximately 14%, which was one of Tesla’s biggest one-day market losses ever. This was a sharp swerve for the president, who in April 2025 said that China tariffs would not significantly impact Tesla, and the automaker’s stock jumped over 5%.
Editor’s note on political coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. You can find more coverage of this topic on GOBankingRates.com.
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