Trump made more than $1bn from crypto in first year back in office

US President Donald Trump made more than $1bn (£750m) last year from business dealings in cryptocurrency, according to his mandatory financial report for 2025.In a 927-page disclosure, he reported $635m in royalties from a Trump meme coin that has since plunged in value, having launched it days before taking office.He also reported over $500m in income from World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency firm founded by his own sons and the children of his special envoy, Steve Witkoff.He earned millions more from real estate and Trump-themed items. But the White House denied he was profiting from the presidency.The earnings from his latest financial disclosure far outpace those from his previous 2024 disclosure, when Trump reported over $600m in income.But the White House, which has repeatedly emphasised that Trump has placed his businesses in a trust managed by his sons, again denied any conflict of interest.White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly said the president had proudly made the US "the crypto capital of the world"."Neither the President nor his family has ever engaged - or will ever engage - in conflicts of interest," she said in a statement.She added: "All actions by President Trump and his administration are taken in the best interest of the American people – and any so-called 'reporters' pushing otherwise are recycling the same, tired, false narrative that Democrats and the legacy media have been pushing for a decade."The president himself has also noted that he is not subject to federal conflict-of-interest laws.Trump once criticised cryptocurrency, famously calling Bitcoin a 'scam' in 2021 and a "disaster waiting to happen".But, during his presidential campaign three years later, Trump said he wanted to make the US the "crypto capital of the planet". One of his first actions upon returning to the White House last year was an executive order to "support the responsible growth" of the crypto industry.Richard Painter, the former chief White House ethics lawyer under George W Bush, told the BBC it was "extraordinary" that Trump had made $1bn from crypto."Of course it's a conflict of interest," he said.Will Walker-Arnott, director of private clients at Raymond James Financial Group, said: "His approach, I suppose, is in contrast to previous presidents in terms of money making."Jimmy Carter put his peanut farm into a blind trust and George W Bush sold his interest in the Texas Rangers before becoming president, but Trump seems to be operating in a very different manner and seems to be making a lot of money through this family crypto company."Trump Bibles, watches and fragranceTuesday's disclosure shows his crypto earnings far overshadow income from his real estate business, which first catapulted him to fame.Trump earned around $77m from his Mar-a-Lago club and $122m from his golf club in Doral, Florida.He also earned more than $30m each from golf clubs in Bedminster, New Jersey; Jupiter, Florida; and Turnberry, Scotland.Trump also earned millions from other business ventures, according to the financial disclosure.These included $4.7m in royalties from Trump-branded watches, as well as Trump-branded Bibles, trainers, fragrances, and guitars.First Lady Melania Trump also listed her 2025 income in the disclosure. She made $10.7m from a "license agreement" related to the documentary about her that was released last year.Another $6m in income is listed for her from the sale of NFTs, which are digital images sold online.The president listed some $86.5m in income from settlements in various legal actions.These included $16m from a lawsuit against ABC, $16m from CBS Broadcasting and CBS Interactive, $24.5m from Meta, $22m from YouTube and $8m from X.

Trump made more than $1bn from crypto in first year back in office

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Namibian Sun 2026-07-02

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Trump made more than $1bn from crypto in first year back in office

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Namibian Sun 2026-07-02

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