Trump takes a stake in a conveyor belt sushi chain — and the stock surges

The purchase of Kura Sushi USA stock was one of more than 3,700 trades recorded under Trump's name in the first quarter of 2026

By Cris Tolomia2 min readUpdated May 21, 2026

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President Donald Trump disclosed a purchase of between $1 million and $5 million in Kura Sushi USA stock made on Feb. 2, an investment that surprised markets and sent Japan-listed Kura Sushi stock up more than 5%. That was its biggest intraday gain since last June, according to Bloomberg.

Kura Sushi USA operates a conveyor belt sushi restaurant chain and trades on the Nasdaq $NDAQ under the ticker KRUS. According to the company's annual securities filing, the Japanese parent held a roughly 67% voting stake in its U.S. affiliate as of late October last year. Kura Sushi USA stock jumped more than 6% on the news.

The purchase was one of more than 3,700 trades recorded under Trump's name in the first quarter of 2026, which also included positions in Nvidia $NVDA, Amazon $AMZN, and Apple $AAPL. Taken together, the disclosed trades carry a cumulative estimated value of between $220 million and $750 million.

Tsutomu Yamada of Mitsubishi UFJ eSmart Securities pointed to strong results from Kura Sushi's American operations and suggested that the president's stake could be drawing interest from individual investors trading the stock in Tokyo, according to Bloomberg. The investment drew attention in Japan, where social media users speculated about whether Trump had eaten raw fish — a food he has previously said he dislikes, according to SFGate.

Trump's Feb. 2 purchase came two business days after Kura Sushi USA unveiled a Hello Kitty promotion and about a week after the chain announced a new board member, according to Restaurant Business. The chain reported same-store sales growth of 8.6% on 4.3% higher traffic in the quarter ended Feb. 28, and raised its full-year outlook to positive same-store sales from flat to positive before.

Trump broke from the practice of prior presidents, who typically either sold off holdings or transferred them into a blind trust managed by an outside party. The Trump Organization has said that outside financial firms exclusively control the president's portfolio and make all trading calls, with Trump, his relatives, and the organization itself having no role in those decisions.

The disclosures have renewed conflict-of-interest concerns, with the timing of several purchases coinciding with favorable regulatory decisions affecting companies in the portfolio. Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday there is nothing suspicious about the trading activity, telling reporters that Trump "has independent wealth advisors who manage his money."

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