Beloved burger chain goes full MAGA, and sales are soaring. Can you make money on the Trump Train? 3 stocks to bet on

Beloved burger chain goes full MAGA, and sales are soaring. Can you make money on the Trump Train? 3 stocks to bet on

Thomas Kent

Wed, September 9, 2026 at 7:30 PM GMT+3 7 min read

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Steak 'n Shake has found an unusual ingredient for its comeback: MAGA.

The Wall Street Journal (1) reports that the nearly century-old Midwestern burger chain has leaned into President Donald Trump's Make America Great Again movement and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again campaign — switching its fries to beef tallow, promoting American ingredients and installing massive American flags at its restaurants.

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And customers appear to be coming back.

Steak 'n Shake's domestic same-store sales increased 11.9% in the second quarter of 2026 (2), according to the quarterly report put out by parent company Biglari Holdings. The Wall Street Journal reports that same-store sales rose 14% in the first half of the year, while average visits per location rose 5.8%.

But that doesn't prove politics alone has caused the turnaround. Steak 'n Shake has also overhauled ingredients and made operational changes, including shrinking its footprint over the course of a year from 417 locations to 399 as of June 30.

The chain's political pivot raises a broader question: Is there money to be made betting on Trump's America?

MAGA itself

Investors looking for a MAGA investment can start with the one that actually carries the ticker. The Truth Social America First ETF trades under MAGA on the NYSE Arca (NYSEARCA:MAGA) after the Point Bridge America First ETF was reorganized into the Truth Social fund (3) in July.

The fund tracks the Truth Social America First Index, which uses campaign contribution data (4) to select U.S. companies whose employees and political action committees are highly supportive of Republican candidates and affiliated federal committees.

Political alignment is explicitly part of the screening process. The fund says its index tracks U.S. companies whose employees and PACs are "highly supportive of Republican candidates."

As of Sept. 4, MAGA's net asset value was up 11.49% year to date. Its prospectus also lists annual operating expenses of 0.72% (5), equivalent to about $72 annually on a hypothetical $10,000 investment before accounting for changes in value.

Political alignment, of course, doesn't guarantee investment returns. The fund itself warns that tariffs, trade wars, recessions and other political or economic events could hurt its holdings.

Don't make one theme your entire portfolio

If you're interested in targeted ETFs, diversification can limit how much of your portfolio depends on one theme.

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Read More: Millionaires under 43 hold only 32% of their wealth in stocks. Here's where their money is actually going

Nucor, a bet on American steel

Nucor (NYSE:NUE) is one of America's largest steel producers at a time when the Trump administration is using tariffs to make imported metals more expensive.

In April, Trump set section 232 tariffs of 50% (6) on many imported steel, aluminum and copper products. Those tariffs can benefit domestic producers by raising the cost of competing imports.

Nucor supports the policy. In an April press release (7), CEO Leon Topalian praised Trump's strengthened metals tariffs, arguing that they would reinforce U.S. steel production and investment.

"Applying tariffs to the full value of steel and steel derivative imports will make it more difficult for importers to evade their obligations and will reinforce the integrity of this critical program and our national security," Topalian wrote in the press release.

The company's recent financial performance has also been strong.

Nucor reported $1.16 billion in net earnings (8) for the second quarter of 2026, up from $603 million a year earlier. Quarterly net sales also reached $10.4 billion.

But tariffs aren't the only factor behind Nucor's results. Steel prices, construction activity, manufacturing demand and costs of raw materials all affect the business.

Protectionism can also provoke retaliation. Canada imposed retaliatory tariffs on $20 billion of U.S. goods (9) after trade negotiations with the Trump administration broke down.

Find opportunities beyond the political headline

Changes in Washington can shift an industry's outlook. Sometimes, figuring out which companies are actually worth owning requires digging deeper.

Moby offers expert research and recommendations backed by former hedge fund analysts. In four years and across almost 400 stock picks, Moby's recommendations beat the S&P 500 by almost 12% on average.

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Plus, the reports are designed to be easy for beginners to understand, so you can become a smarter investor in just five minutes. Moby even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Unusual Machines, the speculative Trump trade

Unusual Machines (NYSEAMERICAN:UMAC) has a much more direct Trump connection. The Florida-based company sells drones and drone components. It's currently working to bring more manufacturing to the U.S. — Donald Trump Jr., already an investor, joined its advisory board (10) in November 2024.

"The need for drones is obvious," Trump Jr. said. "It is also obvious that we must stop buying Chinese drones and Chinese drone parts."

His father's administration is now using tariffs to discourage some of those imports.

Trump signed an August proclamation (11) imposing new tariffs on imported drones and components, including a 100% tariff on drones weighing more than 55 lbs. (or 25kg per the release), drones with thermal imagers, docking stations and certain critical components. Smaller drones generally face a 25% tariff, subject to exceptions for certain trading partners.

UMAC stocks initially gained about 4% as the new tariffs took effect (12).

But UMAC's financials show why a favorable political narrative doesn't guarantee a good investment.

Second-quarter revenue surged 687% year over year (13), from roughly $2.1 million to $16.7 million. Yet the company posted an operating loss of about $7.8 million, up from $7.2 million a year earlier. Gross margin also slipped from 37.4% to 34.7%.

So, while Trump's policies could improve the environment for U.S.-made drones, UMAC still has to turn its rapid revenue growth into sustainable profits.

Make your own call on individual stocks

Ultimately, finding the right companies to invest in is a matter of research. For investors who prefer to make the buys themselves, SoFi offers a DIY approach.

SoFi's investing platform lets you buy stocks, ETFs and more, with no commission fees and no account minimums. The platform also offers real-time investing news, curated content and market data for both new and experienced investors.

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