Warren Buffett Denies Supporting Trump’s Economic Moves \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ President Trump shared a video falsely claiming investor Warren Buffett praised his economic policies following recent global tariffs. Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway swiftly denied the quote, calling it fabricated and misleading. The incident unfolded as the stock market plunged amid escalating U.S.–China trade tensions.
Quick Looks
- Trump posted a video with a fake Buffett quote
- Buffett did not praise Trump’s economic decisions
- Berkshire Hathaway labeled the viral social claims “false”
- Buffett won’t comment on the economy until May 3
- The S&P 500 dropped 6% Friday after tariff news
- Buffett has avoided political endorsements in recent years
- Trump’s video cited a March 13 Instagram post
- The quote’s origin is unknown and unverified
- Buffett briefly discussed tariffs on CBS in early March
- CNBC confirmed Buffett denied all recent economic commentary
Deep Look
As U.S. financial markets tumbled on Friday in response to newly announced global tariffs, former President Donald Trump turned to Truth Social to promote what appeared to be economic validation from one of the world’s most respected investors. In a video shared to his platform, Trump highlighted a clip claiming that billionaire Warren Buffett had praised his economic strategies as “the best economic moves he’s seen in 50 years.”
There’s just one problem: the quote is entirely fabricated.
Shortly after the post gained traction online, Berkshire Hathaway, the investment conglomerate Buffett leads, issued a statement firmly denying the authenticity of the circulating claims. “There are reports currently circulating on social media (including Twitter, Facebook and TikTok) regarding comments allegedly made by Warren E. Buffett. All such reports are false,” the company wrote in a public release.
The statement came amid mounting confusion, as the video appeared to show Buffett speaking directly, paired with a voiceover declaring, “Trump is purposely crashing the stock market by 20% this month, but he’s doing it on purpose. And this is why Warren Buffett just said Trump is making the best economic moves he’s seen in over 50 years.” However, the footage and audio were cobbled together from unrelated sources and overlaid with a fabricated narrative.
The video’s audio was originally posted on Instagram on March 13, but has no traceable link to Buffett or any official channel.
In response to the viral claim, CNBC’s Becky Quick, who frequently covers Buffett and has direct access to him, confirmed on-air that Buffett has issued no public or private remarks on the current market conditions or economic strategy under Trump. “He says that he’s not talking to anybody about anything related to the markets, the economy or tariffs,” Quick reported, citing a direct conversation with Buffett. She added that he would remain silent until Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholders meeting on May 3.
Buffett, known for his precision in public statements, has deliberately avoided weighing in on political issues in recent years, despite his longstanding alignment with the Democratic Party. Since endorsing Hillary Clinton in 2016, he has avoided endorsing political candidates to prevent any negative business fallout for Berkshire Hathaway and its vast network of companies.
Although Buffett has not recently commented on Trump’s tariffs, he did briefly touch on the topic during a March 2 interview on CBS News’ “Sunday Morning.” There, he acknowledged the historical weight of tariffs, stating, “Tariffs are actually, we’ve had a lot of experience with them. They’re an act of war to some degree.” When pressed further on the economy, he declined to elaborate, saying, “I can’t talk about it now, I really can’t.”
That brief statement appears to be the only verified recent comment Buffett has made regarding trade or economic policy.
In contrast to the image shared by Trump, Buffett’s actual financial outlook—particularly regarding global economic policy—is carefully worded and released only during vetted channels, including Berkshire’s shareholder letters, annual meetings, and approved interviews. In his most recent letter to shareholders, Buffett addressed the broader responsibilities of government, noting: “We need you to maintain a stable currency and that result requires both wisdom and vigilance on your part.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s decision to escalate tariffs this week sent shockwaves through the global financial markets. In retaliation to U.S. policy shifts, China matched the new tariffs, significantly intensifying an ongoing trade standoff. On Friday, the S&P 500 plunged 6%, driven by investor fears that the tit-for-tat policies could spiral into a full-blown recession.
Despite the market reaction, Trump’s Truth Social post attempted to reframe the downturn as strategic, presenting the sharp market losses as part of a deliberate plan he purportedly enacted with Buffett’s blessing—a narrative now thoroughly debunked.
To date, Trump’s team has not responded to multiple media requests for comment or clarification on the origins of the video, the quote’s source, or whether they were aware of its inaccuracy before it was posted.
The controversy underscores how rapidly misinformation can spread across social media, particularly when it involves high-profile public figures like Warren Buffett. For investors, the incident serves as a reminder to rely on credible sources and verified communications when evaluating market sentiment.
With the annual Berkshire Hathaway meeting just weeks away, Buffett is expected to break his silence then—but until that moment, any claims attributed to him regarding current economic conditions remain, in the company’s own words, “false.”
Warren Buffett Denies Warren Buffett Denies
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