Trump Responds to Criticism That He's Enriching Himself via Crypto Ventures While in Office

In an interview with Kristen Welker on NBC’s Meet the Press aired May 4, Donald Trump responded to criticism that he’s enriching himself via crypto ventures while in office.

Former President Donald Trump was interviewed by Kristen Welker on NBC’s Meet the Press on May 4. They discussed several topics, including the criticism that Trump is profiting from crypto ventures while in office.

Trump responded, “I’m not profiting from anything. I’m not profiting. I own stock in various companies and if the stock market goes up, I guess I’m profiting.”

When asked directly if he made money from the TRUMP token, which is named after him and trades on the Stellar blockchain, Trump replied, “I haven’t even looked. Is it up or down?”

The TRUMP memecoin was launched on Jan. 17, just days before Trump’s second presidential term began. It surged to $73.43 by Jan. 19, a day before inauguration. But the hype faded fast. The token dropped nearly 85% and now trades around $11.35.

Interestingly, Trump appeared unaware of the token’s current price during the interview, asking multiple times how much it was worth.

According to CoinGecko and filings, two Trump-linked entities — CIC Digital LLC and Fight Fight Fight LLC — own 80% of the TRUMP token’s 1 billion supply. These tokens are locked and will be gradually released by 2028. The first release of 40 million tokens, valued at $454 million, occurred on April 18.

Trump’s crypto foray has generated at least $350 million in revenue, including $314 million from token sales and another $36 million from fees, according to a Financial Times analysis from March.

He’s faced criticism from both parties, including Republican Senators Cynthia Lummis and Lisa Murkowski, especially after TRUMP holders were offered a chance to dine with the president on May 22.

Asked if he would contribute crypto earnings the same way he donates his presidential salary, Trump said, “I never thought of that. Should I contribute all of my real estate that I’ve owned for many years if it goes up a little bit because I’m president? I don’t think so.”

Trump reiterated his pro-crypto stance in the same interview. “I want crypto. I think crypto’s important because if we don’t do it, China’s going to. It’s new, it’s very popular, it’s very hot.”

According to nonprofit State Democracy Defenders Action, Trump’s crypto involvement has increased his net worth. The group said he now holds $2.9 billion in digital assets — around 37% of his total wealth.

“Rather than divest his crypto assets to avoid any possible conflict of interest, President Trump seems to have positioned himself to maximize profiting from them,” the group noted, urging Congress to act.