“It’s just mind-bogglingly nonsensical,” Jonathan Macey, a Yale Law School corporate law, corporate finance and securities law professor, said of Trump’s story.

Macey repeatedly laughed while discussing the story in an interview. He said it would be the equivalent of someone claiming that, to avoid persecution in New York, they were going to avoid shopping at Macy’s in New York but instead would shop at the Bloomingdale’s store next door in New York. He said: “Like, what?”

“I hope somebody advising President Trump informs him that the same investor protection rules that safeguard investors of the New York Stock Exchange also safeguard investors on the Nasdaq Stock Market,” Macey said.

Trump, now the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, told the story during a press conference in which he denounced New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for bringing legal cases against him. (You can read more here about the day’s major developments in those cases.)

He claimed that “the people at the stock exchange are very, very upset” that he decided against listing the company on the NYSE and that “the top person is mortified, can’t believe it.” And he said of this supposed NYSE official: “He said, ‘I’m losing business because of New York – because people don’t want to be in New York and they don’t want to go on the New York Stock Exchange.’ So you can ask them about it,” he said.

The “top person” at the NYSE, however, is not a “he.” The president of the NYSE since 2022, Lynn Martin, is a woman, as is her predecessor Stacey Cunningham. And the NYSE board is chaired by a woman, Sharon Bowen.

A NYSE spokesperson declined to comment about Trump’s account of the supposed conversation. The spokesperson did say the exchange would welcome Trump’s company.

“America’s capital markets are the envy of the world and investors benefit from more, not fewer, companies listed on public exchanges. New York should be open for business for all types of capital formation. With regard to Digital World Acquisition Corp. and Trump Media and Technology Group, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has declared their business combination effective and we would welcome the company for listing on the New York Stock Exchange,” the spokesperson said.

The company, which owns social media platform Truth Social, is scheduled to begin trading on the Nasdaq on Tuesday.

“It’s just mind-bogglingly nonsensical,” Jonathan Macey, a Yale Law School corporate law, corporate finance and securities law professor, said of Trump’s story.

Macey repeatedly laughed while discussing the story in an interview. He said it would be the equivalent of someone claiming that, to avoid persecution in New York, they were going to avoid shopping at Macy’s in New York but instead would shop at the Bloomingdale’s store next door in New York. He said: “Like, what?”

“I hope somebody advising President Trump informs him that the same investor protection rules that safeguard investors of the New York Stock Exchange also safeguard investors on the Nasdaq Stock Market,” Macey said.

Trump, now the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, told the story during a press conference in which he denounced New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg for bringing legal cases against him. (You can read more here about the day’s major developments in those cases.)

He claimed that “the people at the stock exchange are very, very upset” that he decided against listing the company on the NYSE and that “the top person is mortified, can’t believe it.” And he said of this supposed NYSE official: “He said, ‘I’m losing business because of New York – because people don’t want to be in New York and they don’t want to go on the New York Stock Exchange.’ So you can ask them about it,” he said.

The “top person” at the NYSE, however, is not a “he.” The president of the NYSE since 2022, Lynn Martin, is a woman, as is her predecessor Stacey Cunningham. And the NYSE board is chaired by a woman, Sharon Bowen.

A NYSE spokesperson declined to comment about Trump’s account of the supposed conversation. The spokesperson did say the exchange would welcome Trump’s company.

“America’s capital markets are the envy of the world and investors benefit from more, not fewer, companies listed on public exchanges. New York should be open for business for all types of capital formation. With regard to Digital World Acquisition Corp. and Trump Media and Technology Group, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has declared their business combination effective and we would welcome the company for listing on the New York Stock Exchange,” the spokesperson said.

The company, which owns social media platform Truth Social, is scheduled to begin trading on the Nasdaq on Tuesday.