Trump’s Harvard Broadside Puts Spotlight on NYT and Media Stocks, While Health Care Names Face Minimal Risk

President Trump has posted a new announcement on Truth Social, the social media platform. He wrote:

“Strongly Antisemitic Harvard University has been feeding a lot of “nonsense” to The Failing New York Times. Harvard has been, for a long time, behaving very badly! They wanted to do a convoluted job training concept, but it was turned down in that it was wholly inadequate and would not have been, in our opinion, successful. It was merely a way of Harvard getting out of a large cash settlement of more than 500 Million Dollars, a number that should be much higher for the serious and heinous illegalities that they have committed. This should be a Criminal, not Civil, event, and Harvard will have to live with the consequences of their wrongdoings. In any event, this case will continue until justice is served. Dr. Alan Garber, the President of Harvard, has done a terrible job of rectifying a very bad situation for his institution and, more importantly, America, itself. He was hired AFTER the antisemitism charges were brought – I wonder why??? We are now seeking One Billion Dollars in damages, and want nothing further to do, into the future, with Harvard University. As The Failing New York Times clearly stated, “Some connected to the University, however, think Harvard has no option but to eventually cut a deal. The Administration has repeatedly attempted to cut off research grants, which would be an untenable crises. Like many major research universities, Harvard relies on federal funding for its financial model.” Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP”

How Will Trump’s Statement Affect the Stock Market?

This latest post has the potential to affect the stock market. That’s because Trump’s attack on Harvard and The New York Times could pressure NYT (NYT) and, by association, broader media names like News Corp (NWSA), if investors anticipate reputational or political headwinds, while potentially boosting engagement-driven ad and subscription revenue narratives. Healthcare and biotech tickers (PFE, XLV, VHT, IBB, MRNA) are only tangentially exposed via federal funding and regulatory sentiment toward research institutions; unless this escalates into concrete policy actions affecting grants, any price impact is likely limited and short-lived. Communication services ETFs (VOX, XLC) may see modest volatility tied to media-sector news flow, but the post is unlikely to alter sector fundamentals absent sustained political or legal developments.

Here are some of the stocks that might be affected:
The New York Times Company ((NYT)),
News Corporation Class A ((NWSA)),
Pfizer Inc ((PFE)),
Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund ((XLV)),
Vanguard Health Care ETF ((VHT)),
Vanguard Communication Services ETF ((VOX)),
iShares Biotechnology ETF ((IBB)),
Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Fund ((XLC)),
Moderna ((MRNA)).