DJT shares rise 25% after Trump said he would not sell his stake

Shares of Trump media jumped more than 25% on Friday, just minutes after majority owner Donald Trump said he would not sell his stake.

“I have absolutely no intention of selling,” said the Republican presidential candidate, who can begin selling his nearly 57 percent stake in less than a week when a lock-up agreement expires.

Trading in the stock was briefly suspended on Friday afternoon following Trump's press statements at his golf club in California.

Trump said Truth Social, Trump Media's Twitter-like social media platform, was “great for me,” adding that his stake was still worth more than $1 billion.

“But I don't want to sell my shares. I won't sell my shares,” he said.

“I didn't do it for the money. I did it because I really wanted to have a strong voice, and this is a great voice for me,” he said. “And as long as my voice is there, it will always be good.”

The company's value initially rose sharply when it was first traded as DJT on the Nasdaq in late March following the completion of a merger with a special purpose acquisition company.

But the share price has fallen sharply in recent months and has lost up to 80 percent since its daily high.

“A lot of people think the reason it's down is because they think I'm selling, and if I sell, it wouldn't be the same,” Trump said.

Trump Media, which reported millions of dollars in losses and low revenue in its most recent quarterly report, said in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that Truth Social depends on Trump's continued popularity.

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— CNBC's Josephine Rozzelle contributed reporting.