President Donald Trump’s largest disclosed transaction in June was a sale of Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF (NYSEARCA:VIG) shares in a range of $5 million to $25 million, according to CNBC’s reporting on his Office of Government Ethics periodic transaction report filed Aug. 22, 2026. He did not sell the Schwab U.S. Dividend Equity ETF (NYSEARCA:SCHD).
That distinction matters. SCHD is having one of the best years of any major dividend fund in America. Shares closed Friday, Aug. 21, 2026 at $35.11, up 30.1% year to date on an adjusted price basis.
What Trump Sold and Bought
According to CNBC, Trump’s June 22, 2026 VIG sale sat alongside purchases of Fidelity National Information Services (FIS) and Home Depot (HD), each in a $1 million to $5 million range. Separately in June, he bought the Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLK).
Two caveats: the filing discloses only a range, not an exact dollar figure, and does not say how much VIG Trump still holds. It offers no rationale for the sale.
Why VIG and SCHD Differ
These funds are built differently. VIG tracks the S&P U.S. Dividend Growers Index, requiring 10-plus consecutive years of dividend increases and then excludes the highest-yielding top 25% of eligible names as a quality filter. It holds 300-plus stocks, charges 0.04%, and leans into technology, healthcare, and industrials. AUM is around $124.7 billion.
SCHD tracks the Dow Jones U.S. Dividend 100 Index, screening on current yield and financial strength rather than growth. It holds roughly 100 stocks with net assets of $94.95 billion as of May 31, 2026. Top positions include QUALCOMM at about 6.7% of the fund, Texas Instruments at about 5.9%, and UnitedHealth Group at about 5.1%. Energy is roughly 12.5% to 15% of assets, high for the category, while technology sits around 9%.
SCHD’s 2026 Performance
SCHD’s adjusted price is up 32.24% over the past year, 6.72% over the past month, and 1.71% over the past week. VIG closed Friday at $243.91, up 11.89% year to date, 18.6% over the past year, and down 0.6% over the past week.
SCHD’s outperformance versus the S&P 500 has grown as the year progressed. As of July 28, 2026, SCHD was up about 23.88% year to date against the S&P 500’s roughly 10.36%. By Aug. 14, 2026, those figures were about 27.92% and 13.85%, with one outlet calling it SCHD’s biggest win over the index on record. SCHD’s trailing 12-month dividend of about $1.048 per share works out to roughly a 3.3% yield, versus the S&P 500’s roughly 1.3%.
Long-Run Dead Heat
Over five years, SCHD’s adjusted price is up 63.75% and VIG is up 65.06%. Over ten years, SCHD is up 244.59% and VIG is up 243.1%. Essentially tied on both horizons, despite the wide 2026 gap.
Three Reasons SCHD Is Winning Now
First, a value-factor revival. SCHD trades around 18 to 19 times forward earnings, while the broader market sits near its second-highest Shiller P/E ratio ever. Return on equity for the fund is about 26.5%.
Second, energy. SCHD holds oversized positions in Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and EOG Resources, and Brent averaged around $106 a barrel in May and June as Strait of Hormuz disruption tied to the Iran conflict tightened supply. That conflict has not resolved as of late August; a June interim deal lapsed.
Third, SCHD’s dividend-quality screen structurally excludes most of the AI-infrastructure mega-caps: Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple, and Alphabet, which led the market from 2023 through 2025 but stumbled in stretches of 2026.
Does the Streak Hold?
The bull case: value has lagged for years, and a mean-reversion cycle could keep favoring dividend-value funds.
The bear case: the energy tailwind depends on continued Middle East supply disruption that is not guaranteed to persist, and roughly $700 billion in 2026 AI capital expenditure from major tech companies could reassert mega-cap leadership. In that scenario, SCHD would likely lag, because it has no meaningful position in Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple, or Alphabet. One analysis suggests only a partial reallocation toward SCHD rather than aggressive buying at current levels.
Trump’s disclosed VIG sale is a separate story from SCHD’s run. The two funds are having very different years. What’s worth watching next is oil, AI capex trends, and whether SCHD’s late-July highs get taken out again into September.
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