From sneakers to cryptocurrency, President Donald Trump has come a long way from losing money during his first stint in the White House. Recent reports show that his net worth has spiked up by $3 billion since he was on the campaign trail last year.
How did he do it?
According to a report published this week by USA Today, “the most notable move,” for the Trump Organization, a business owned by Trump and his family, has been in the cryptocurrency industry, with an investigation in July by left-leaning watchdog group Accountable estimating that 73% of Trump’s fortune comes from cryptocurrency ventures. Audacy reported on the launch of Trump’s meme coin in January, just before his inauguration. Within a few days, we reported that the president had become a crypto billionaire.
USA Today noted that the Trump family also has its own stablecoin, bitcoin mining companies and more, such as the World Liberty Financial company, in addition to its successful meme coin. In 2022, he announced the launch of “digital trading card” non-fungible token (NFTs), with another lineup announced last year.
“No president in U.S. history has used his position of power to profit as immensely as Trump,” said Forbes last month. “His primary vehicle for enrichment: cryptocurrency, an asset class full of hype and vulnerable to regulators.”
Even before Trump officially took office, his crypto-friendly stance was credited with helping Bitcoin hit $100,000 in December. Shortly after taking office, Trump announced plans for a “U.S. Crypto Reserve” and held a summit on cryptocurrency at the White House. Trump has also said he wants the U.S. to be a leader in the crypto industry, though some experts have questioned whether it is a too risky asset for the U.S. government to invest in.
Forbes reported that “Trump rolled back regulatory enforcement of crypto and signed legislation favorable to the industry, ensuring he would personally benefit from conflicts of interest.” It added that World Liberty Financial “has continued selling tokens, including to opaque buyers.”
Outside of crypto, sources of the Trump family fortune also comes from his long and well-known career in real estate as well as pharmaceuticals (this BlinkRx/TrumpRx venture is expected to launch next year), media (including the social media app Truth Social and the $40 million Melania Trump documentary deal), gifts such as the controversial airplane from Qatar and retail sales of items such as Trump sneakers and Bibles.
“Donald Trump just had the most lucrative year of his life,” according to Forbes. “The president is now worth a record $7.3 billion, up from $4.3 billion in 2024, when he was still running for office. The $3 billion gain vaulted him 118 spots on The Forbes 400, where he lands at No. 201 this year.”
Bloomberg previously reported that Trump’s fortune slipped from $3 billion to $2.3 billion during his first term in office and Newsweek said he is the only president who actually lost net worth while in office. During that first term, Trump’s finances took a hit from the COVID-19 pandemic and Jan. 6 riot, Bloomberg noted.
As of September, Forbes estimated that the president’s balance sheet was “stronger than it has ever been, with an estimated $1.1 billion of liabilities and $8.4 billion of assets, $1.1 billion of which are in liquid holdings.”