Trump's Cryptocurrency Empire Expands, Promising New Ways to Profit from the Presidency

On his second day in office, President Donald Trump was asked if he would continue selling products that benefited him personally

President Donald Trump was asked on Wednesday if he would continue selling products that benefited him personally. It comes after sales of a new Trump “meme coin” had soared to as much as $20 billion in value.

“I don't know much about it, other than I launched it. I heard it was very successful,” Trump replied. “I haven't checked it. Where is it today?”

“You made a lot of money, sir. Several billion dollars, it seems like, in the last several days.”

“Several billion? That's peanuts for these guys,” Trump said gesturing toward a group of tech billionaires at the White House event.

A fortune in cryptocurrency

Trump never answered whether he would seek personal profit from the presidency – something historians say virtually every other president has pledged to avoid.

Just two of the cryptocurrency investments owned by Trump-affiliated entities have made at least $300 million in trading fees alone on sales of his meme coin and other digital currency since January, according to ethics watchdogs, Democratic lawmakers, crypto analysts and other experts.

Greater potential profits lie in the Trump entities’ stake in the value of the meme coin and their other Trump-themed crypto investments, these analysts and other experts say.

Last week, another of the Trump family's crypto ventures, World Liberty Financial, announced that one of its digital coins is being used by an Abu Dhabi investment firm for a $2 billion investment in cryptocurrency exchange Binance. Democratic lawmakers and crypto analysts said the deal was a conflict of interest that could earn World Liberty at least $27 million per year.

Meanwhile, Trump's administration has loosened regulation of the cryptocurrency industry and dismantled a Justice Department unit targeting crypto fraud.

Crypto isn’t Trump's only source of funds since returning to office. The president profits from real estate, his Truth Social platform and a range of branded merchandise, experts say.

How much has Trump earned in his first 100 days back in the White House?

“It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to find a number right now,” said Fred Wertheimer of the nonprofit accountability group Democracy 21. "And I don't think that's an accident."

"The president spent many years bragging about how many billions of dollars he had, but as president it's a different story," said Wertheimer. "He doesn't hide all his business ventures, but he certainly doesn't report on what's going on."

A Senate inquiry into presidential profits

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, ranking Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, told USA TODAY he’s launching an investigation into Trump’s profits as president.

The cryptocurrency ventures − including a digital meme coin celebrating Trump’s survival of a July 2024 assassination attempt − will be key to Blumenthal’s inquiry. Trump, he said, “makes money off the trading because the transactions generate a fee, as well as from the increase in price for the coins that results from his promoting or enticing sales.”

“Whether it's tens of millions or hundreds of millions really is a topic for the investigation,” said Blumenthal, a former Connecticut attorney general. “But I just cannot emphasize how craven and brazen this kind of stunt is. And it would be laughable, but it involves millions of dollars and a threat to our national security.”

Blumenthal said he was especially concerned that the opaque nature of crypto transactions makes it virtually impossible to determine how much Trump is profiting – and who might be seeking influence by purchasing the Trump coins.

That, he said, could pose a national security threat by allowing foreign governments to enrich Trump – and gain his favor − without public knowledge.

A White House spokesperson denied that, saying the president did not have a conflict of interest because his assets were controlled by his children.

A spokesman for World Liberty Financial, a Trump family-controlled crypto firm, told USA TODAY the company was "not involved in politics whatsoever."

Sneakers, Bibles - and digital currency

Even more than during his first term, Trump has upended the customs restraining a commander-in-chief’s ability to profit from the office.

Besides the meme coin and other crypto, Trump and his business associates have promoted dozens of branded items, including Trump sneakers and Trump-autographed Bibles.

Trump has also gone all-in on digital artworks known as NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, selling “Trump Bitcoin Digital Trading Cards," including more than 100 new collectibles released in January 2025, according to Cryptopolitan and other crypto industry trackers.

An 'intimate private dinner' for Trump crypto investors

On April 23, one of the many private companies affiliated with Trump and his family upped the ante by offering existing and new buyers of the $TRUMP meme coin "the most EXCLUSIVE INVITATION in the world."

A meme coin is a