Michael Burry Targets Trump As Oil Soars: 'Falling Stock Market Is His Kryptonite'

Michael Burry is warning that President Donald Trump may have stumbled into a geopolitical spiral where a plunging stock market again becomes his political "kryptonite" just as oil rips higher on the Iran war shock.

• USO is spiking higher.

"President Trump may have gotten into something that would be incredibly dangerous for the world if he shows again that a falling stock market is his kryptonite," Burry said in a social media post on Sunday night. 

Oil and Energy Spike

Since U.S.–Israel strikes on Iran began on Feb. 28, crude has jumped roughly 50%, with Brent trading around the low‑$100s and overnight spikes above $110 as Hormuz disruptions choke off about a fifth of global supply. 

WTI has similarly vaulted above the $100 mark, its fastest ever move through that level, as producers from Kuwait to the UAE trim output and traders price in a protracted regional conflict.

The shock is blasting through energy products: the United States Oil Fund (NYSE:USO) is trading above $120 on Monday morning, up more than 45% since the conflict began, while the Energy Select Sector SPDR (NYSE:XLE) has climbed from the mid‑40s in January to above $57 on Monday. 

A textbook stagflation scare is brewing with surging oil and energy ETFs alongside rising headline inflation risk and tightening financial conditions.

Index Moves

The equity side of Burry's "kryptonite" thesis is visible in the broad ETFs tracking the major indexes. 

The SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF (NYSE:DIA) has slid more than 5% over the past month, as war headlines hit cyclical blue chips and the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSE:SPY) has dropped nearly 3% over the same period. 

The tech‑heavy Invesco QQQ Trust (NASDAQ:QQQ) has been even shakier, down about 1.24% over the past week as Iran‑driven volatility and higher discount‑rate fears hit growth multiples. 

Put together, a scenario of spiking oil, bid-up energy ETFs and wobbling market indexes — exactly the kind of setup where Burry might see a market-obsessed Trump tempted to escalate or interfere.

Photo: Mason Lawrence / Shutterstock