Trump commented on his cryptocurrency income in an interview with CNBC: Donald Trump admitted that he was not fully aware of all the proceeds related to cryptocurrency projects and memecoins, although he called this area legal and important for the United States of America.
What Donald Trump Said About Cryptocurrency Income
The US president said he might have known about cryptocurrency activity related to his business interests, but, according to him, he did not have the full picture. This refers to the income that appeared in the annual financial disclosure after Trump returned to the White House.
'I might have known about it. But I didn't know,' Donald Trump said in response to a question about cryptocurrency activity.
He also emphasized that he does not see any violation of the law or anything reprehensible in this story.
'There is nothing illegal about it. There is nothing wrong here. I might have known about it,' the US president said.
According to the disclosure, the largest amounts came from the cryptocurrency segment and royalties from memecoins. The president's sons are now managing his business assets.
For comparison:
- Cryptocurrency and royalties from memecoins — $1.4 billion USD.
- Mar-a-Lago Resort — $77 million USD.
- Golf club in Northern Virginia — $25 million USD.
Trump Wants to Make the US a Leader in the Cryptocurrency Market
Trump separately explained why he pays so much attention to the cryptocurrency industry. According to him, if the US does not take first place in this area, China may seize the initiative.
'I look at cryptocurrency a little differently: we must be on top, otherwise China will take it over. Look at how this industry has grown in recent years. There are those who believe in it, there are those who don't — either way, it's an important matter. And in everything we do, I want us to be number one. And we are already number one in the field of cryptocurrency,' Trump said.
This is a noticeable shift for Trump: from previous skepticism about Bitcoin, he has moved to public support for cryptocurrencies and the idea that the US should set the rules in this market.
There is ongoing discussion about a possible conflict of interest surrounding the president's family's cryptocurrency initiatives: Donald Trump remains head of state, while projects and business structures associated with his family, including The Trump Organization and World Liberty Financial, attract significant attention from the market and the media.
The main questions about these projects boil down to several topics:
- Conflict of interest between Trump's government position and family crypto assets.
- Transparency of income sources from tokens, royalties, and partnership projects.
- Regulation of the market, where the president's family is simultaneously present as a business player.
The following are mentioned in the public discussion of this topic:
- The White House.
- Anna Kelly.
- YouTube.
- Meta Platforms.
Critics see a risk of mixing politics and business in such a combination, while supporters believe that Trump's active position helps the US quickly take a strong place in the cryptocurrency market.
How Trump's Wealth Is Estimated
Forbes estimates Donald Trump's fortune at $6.3 billion USD. Bloomberg gives a higher estimate — $7.75 billion USD for Trump and his family.
On July 1, Donald Trump declared more than $1.4 billion USD in income received last year from family cryptocurrency projects. These figures became one of the most notable items in his financial reporting.
Memecoin $TRUMP and the US Crypto Reserve
On January 18, 2025, Trump announced the launch of his own cryptocurrency — the $TRUMP memecoin. In the first hour after launch, the token's capitalization reached $3 billion USD, and after an hour and a half exceeded $4 billion USD.
Thus, the public launch of $TRUMP immediately became a market event: attention to Trump as a political figure quickly flowed into the token's capitalization.
By January 19, 2025, the market capitalization of Trump's cryptocurrency had risen to $68 billion USD. Later, Melania Trump also launched her own memecoin, which briefly crashed the value of her husband's cryptocurrency.
On March 3, 2025, the US president signed an executive order on digital assets and instructed the creation of a US strategic crypto reserve — the Crypto Strategic Reserve. It should include:
- Bitcoin.
- Ethereum.
- XRP.
- Solana.
- Cardano.
Bitcoin and Ethereum are named as the foundation of the future reserve.
'I will make the US the crypto capital of the world,' Donald Trump wrote on his social network Truth Social.
Trump's political decisions and statements increased interest in digital assets associated with his name: the launch of $TRUMP led to rapid capitalization growth, and the executive order on the Crypto Strategic Reserve established cryptocurrencies as one of the prominent topics on his agenda.
In just the first half of 2025, Donald Trump's family earned more than $800 million USD from the sale of cryptocurrency assets; in addition to token sales, the financial reports included royalties from memecoins and income from family cryptocurrency projects. This amount does not take into account possible unrealized 'paper' income, which could amount to billions.
