President Donald Trump earned nearly $1.2 billion from his cryptocurrency ventures last year, according to a federal filing released on Tuesday. These businesses, which were mere startups when he assumed office, have now surpassed much of his traditional real estate empire in revenue. Billionaire investors and Trump’s decision to avoid a federal industry crackdown contributed to their growth.
Trump’s World Liberty Financial business secured over $500 million by selling new cryptocurrency products, including “governance tokens,” as per the annual disclosure filed with the Office of Government Ethics. Another crypto enterprise, CIC Digital LLC, generated more than $600 million from selling novelty “meme” coins featuring Trump’s likeness. Both the tokens and coins have since dropped in value. In addition to his crypto income, Trump made millions from selling various branded items, with watches alone bringing in $4.7 million.
The 927-page report highlights the vast expansion of Trump’s wealth through diverse business interests, many of which gained from his administration’s policies. While Trump claims his sons handle his finances, the approach deviates from conflict-of-interest protections established by previous presidents. Forbes places Trump’s net worth at $6 billion, compared to $2.3 billion in 2024.
An interesting aspect of Trump’s crypto rise is its overshadowing of his real estate ventures, which have also experienced significant growth. Trump earned tens of millions from new hotel, resort, and condo projects overseas, marking the largest property expansion since the family business’s inception. These properties, including one in the United Arab Emirates ($10.4 million) and another in Saudi Arabia ($9 million), coincided with negotiations between the U.S. and the respective countries.
Domestically, Mar-a-Lago in Florida witnessed a 50% revenue increase, reaching $77 million as it attracted heads of state and business figures during Trump’s new term. The disclosure report specifies revenue but not profit, so exact earnings remain unclear.
Upon taking office, Trump eased restrictions on the cryptocurrency industry, despite some regulatory concerns. Before World Liberty began selling “governance tokens,” warnings were issued about their lack of an ownership stake, offering only voting power on corporate policies and being difficult to value. Despite this, buyers showed interest, including Chinese billionaire Justin Sun, who spent $75 million on tokens and $200 million on coins. Sun later faced a federal lawsuit for investor deception, which was settled for a $10 million fine. Sun maintains his spending on Trump businesses was unrelated to the legal case, while World Liberty denies any conflict of interest.
Meanwhile, investors saw sharp declines in the value of their meme coins, which dropped from over $74 at launch to just $1.68. The World Liberty tokens also fell by 80% since trading began. The White House asserts Trump only acts in the public interest, with his business in a trust managed by his sons, claiming no conflicts exist.
While the Trump Organization states overseas deals are with private companies, the opacity of transactions in authoritarian or one-party states raises questions. Trump’s resort project in Vietnam, where he made $5 million after a communist party official signed off on the land deal, illustrates such complexities. Although the influence of these deals on U.S. policy shifts remains speculative, some countries received favorable outcomes, such as tariff relief for Vietnam, advanced U.S. technology access for Qatar, and fighter jets for Saudi Arabia.
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