Will Warren Buffett break his silence on Trump's tariffs and market turmoil?
After nine straight quarters of market sell-offs, investors are eager for answers
Berkshire Hathaway’s 94-year-old CEO Warren Buffett is set to speak to investors at the company’s annual meeting in Omaha on May 3. Many are wondering if the “Oracle of Omaha” will finally comment on US President Donald Trump’s tariff policies and the market swings that followed.
Warren Buffett has occasionally shared his thoughts on whether the market is overpriced or a good deal, like during the 2008–09 financial crisis when he said he was buying stocks himself. But he’s mostly kept quiet about the turmoil caused by Trump’s tariffs and the market instability that came with them.
After nine straight quarters of market sell-offs, investors are eager for answers. More than 30,000 people are expected to fly into Nebraska for what’s now one of the biggest events in finance. This year marks 60 years since Buffett took charge of Berkshire, and it’s also the second meeting without his longtime friend and business partner Charlie Munger, who passed away in 2023.
Buffett hasn’t stayed completely silent on tariffs. In a CBS News interview in March, he said tariffs are basically a tax on goods. “The tooth fairy doesn’t pay them,” he joked.
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He added that Berkshire has dealt with tariffs plenty of times and called them “an act of war, to some degree.”
Analysts don’t think Buffett, who’s been known to back Democratic candidates will go after Trump directly. Still, they say his views carry weight, both as a top investor and as the leader of a company with a lot at stake when it comes to trade.
Last month, Berkshire issued a statement saying Buffett never praised Trump’s recent economic policies. “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 said.
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That statement came shortly after Trump posted a video on Truth Social claiming Buffett said Trump was making “the best economic moves he’s seen in over 50 years.”
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