US President Donald Trump has defended earning an estimated $1.2 billion from his family’s cryptocurrency ventures while serving in office, insisting his financial gains are the result of broader market growth rather than any misuse of presidential power.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, July 1, before boarding a new Air Force One aircraft gifted by Qatar, Trump dismissed suggestions that he was using the presidency for personal enrichment.
“You know why I’m profiting? Because the stock market’s going up. Everybody’s profiting,” he said.
Addressing concerns over the ethics of his earnings, Trump said his personal finances are managed through blind trusts, preventing him from making direct investment decisions.
“I don’t get involved in my personal finances. We have funds that run my money,” he said. “I’ve made a lot of money before I became president, and they invest my money, and I don’t talk to them.”
The president also maintained that his fortune was built long before his return to the White House, despite reports that the latest earnings stem from cryptocurrency ventures launched during his second term.
“I don’t know if I’ve had a better career in politics or business, but I had a great career in business,” Trump said. “You saw the cash, and you report the different things. So we’re all profiting. I’m profiting because I have a lot of money and a lot of cash.”
According to financial disclosure documents released on Tuesday by the US Office of Government Ethics, Trump earned nearly $550 million in 2025 through his association with World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency startup.
World Liberty Financial was co-founded in September 2024 by Trump’s sons and the son of Steve Witkoff, the president’s Middle East special envoy.
The 927-page disclosure also revealed that Trump received approximately $635 million in royalties through a licensing agreement tied to the $TRUMP cryptocurrency token, which was launched shortly before his inauguration in January 2025.
The filings indicate that Trump’s cryptocurrency investments have substantially increased his personal wealth. According to Forbes, his net worth has grown from roughly $2.3 billion in 2024 to about $6.5 billion in 2026, driven largely by the appreciation of his crypto-related assets.
Since returning to office, Trump has pursued policies aimed at easing regulations on the cryptocurrency industry, a move that has helped fuel rising digital asset prices. The White House has defended the administration’s approach, saying the president has “proudly made the United States the crypto capital of the world.”
