Michael Burry Fires Back at Trump: ‘Shoots From the Hip’ for Cronies

Michael Burry, the investor made famous by The Big Short, took a direct shot at President Donald Trump this week, saying Trump could never work his way through one of his Substack essays but has a knack for making money for himself and his allies.

“Donald Trump could not in a million years understand or make his way through any of my substack essays,” Burry wrote. “But he can shoot from the hip and make money for him and his cronies better than anyone.”

What triggered the exchange

Burry, who has pivoted from running a hedge fund to writing about his personal investments on Substack, was likely referring to Trump’s recent disclosure that he made more than $2 billion last year, in part by trading assets such as stocks and cryptocurrencies. The back-and-forth kicked off after Trump publicly ridiculed short sellers.

“Michael Burry has predicted 50 of the last three market crashes, so he should focus on renewing his credibility before attacking anyone else,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told Business Insider by email.

Burry’s actual short book, in his own words

Burry walked through how he approaches shorting in a Substack post last month. He emphasized that it’s a high-risk practice, the upside is limited, and losses can mount quickly.

Burry said that his portfolio is “mostly long most of the time.” He conserves more cash as valuations get rich, then focuses on finding bargains when markets become even more stretched. As he deploys into beaten-down names, he layers in shorts through puts on indices and stocks tied to the prevailing mania’s fulcrum points.

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The Trump-market feedback loop

Burry has previously written that Trump views the economy through the lens of the stock market, adding that Trump has found an interesting way to change the subject when markets get a little too bearish. He called misdirection maybe Trump’s greatest skill.

Reports about large, well-timed trades placed just before Trump delayed or softened threatened strikes have intensified scrutiny of the conflict, but the White House has dismissed suggestions of coordination or market-driven war management.

Backdrop: stocks at records, AI-fueled

Stocks have soared to record highs this year, driven by immense buzz around AI. That backdrop is exactly the kind of setup Burry has flagged before, where he trims exposure and picks spots to hedge with index and single-name puts rather than sizing up outright shorts.

Options market and stocks to watch

Traders may want to watch the following in the wake of Burry’s latest broadside and his disclosed positioning:

• SPY: Burry has spoken about layering index puts as valuations stretch — watch for hedging flow at the index level.
• QQQ: The AI-driven mania Burry references sits mostly in mega-cap tech; watch put activity and skew here.
• PYPL: Burry has reiterated his position in payments and software stocks, including PayPal, Fiserv, Adobe, and Salesforce.
• ADBE: Same disclosed long book — watch for follow-through flow on any Burry commentary.
• CRM: Another Burry disclosed long; worth monitoring for options positioning shifts.

For more coverage on Burry, Trump-era market moves, and options flow, see other news on Unusual Whales.

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