Trump Earns Over $1 Billion in Cryptocurrency Amid Market Downturn

cryptonews.ruPublished on 2026-08-23Last updated on 2026-08-23

Abstract

Donald Trump earned over $1 billion from cryptocurrency in the past year, according to his 2025 financial disclosure. The income, generated while he was in office, came primarily from a meme coin bearing his name and tokens from World Liberty Financial. This occurred as the broader crypto market experienced a significant downturn, with Bitcoin falling about 50% from its previous high. Key sources included roughly $635 million in royalties from the meme coin business and over $500 million from World Liberty Financial token sales. The disclosure also lists major holdings in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other crypto assets through entities like DT Marks Defi LLC and CIC Digital LLC, with individual positions valued over $50 million. The report highlights investments in crypto-related stocks like Coinbase and mentions a $6 million income from an NFT licensing deal. Trump's substantial personal gains from the industry, alongside his administration's pro-crypto policies, have fueled criticism and debates over potential conflicts of interest, particularly during legislative discussions on digital asset market regulation.

Trump earned over $1 billion in cryptocurrency last year: the 2025 financial disclosure shows Donald Trump's substantial income from a memecoin, World Liberty Financial tokens, and other digital assets, while the cryptocurrency market as a whole was experiencing a severe downturn.

The US President received these sums while already in the White House, where his administration has taken an overtly friendly course towards the crypto industry. The contrast with the market was stark: while Trump's disclosed crypto earnings exceeded $1 billion, Bitcoin fell by approximately 50% from its record high last autumn, and many crypto companies faced declining asset values and worsening business conditions.

Main Sources of Donald Trump's Crypto Income

In the annual 2025 disclosure published by the Office of Government Ethics, Donald Trump's major crypto earnings are broken down into two large items. Sales of the coin bearing his name started shortly before his return to the presidential office. In this case, we are talking about a token named after Trump: its value is largely tied to the politician's recognition, community interest, and speculative demand, which distinguishes such coins from crypto projects with independent infrastructure functions.

$635 million USD — royalties from the memecoin business.
Over $500 million USD — sales of World Liberty Financial tokens.

Donald Trump and his family retained a stake in World Liberty Financial despite complaints about conflicts of interest. The reason was the situation itself, where a crypto company linked to the family of the sitting president sought approval from US regulators.

The US dollar serves as the base unit of valuation in the disclosure, but determining precise net worth figures in such documents is difficult: government forms often use broad asset value ranges. Because of this, estimates tracked by business media like Forbes and Bloomberg can vary significantly.

Crypto Assets Listed in the Disclosure

The section related to DT Marks Defi LLC lists crypto assets managed by a structure linked to The Trump Organization and having a stake in World Liberty Financial. It's easier to view these positions by structure:

One asset — DT Marks Defi LLC — up to $250,000 USD.
$USDC — DT Marks Defi LLC — up to $15,000 USD.
Ethereum — DT Marks Defi LLC — over $50 million USD.
Bitcoin — DT Marks Defi LLC — over $50 million USD.
Other cryptocurrencies — DT Marks Defi LLC — over $6 million USD.

Through CIC Digital LLC, another structure linked to The Trump Organization, Donald Trump also disclosed additional positions in digital assets. This company is one of the two key owners of his memecoin business.

Bitcoin — CIC Digital LLC — over $50 million USD.
Ethereum — CIC Digital LLC — $25 million USD.
$USDC — CIC Digital LLC — $25 million USD.
Coreweave — CIC Digital LLC — stake in a Bitcoin miner that switched to artificial intelligence technologies.
stablecoin holdco — DT Marks SC LLC — stake in a company that received over $196 million in revenue last year amid investments related to Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan from Abu Dhabi.

The White House did not provide an immediate comment on the disclosed data. There were also no separate public explanations regarding these figures, including from Anna Kelly.

Shares of Crypto Companies, $NFT, and Political Context

Besides tokens, the disclosure also includes securities related to the crypto market:

Trades in Coinbase Class A shares through various investment accounts controlled by the President; in 2025, there were more purchases than sales, with individual transactions valued at tens of thousands of dollars.
Stakes in CME, Block Inc., and Intercontinental Exchange, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange.
$65 million in income from the sale of World Liberty Financial shares.

Separately, there is $6 million in income from a licensing agreement related to $NFT. Donald Trump previously criticized cryptocurrencies but changed his tone during the 2024 campaign: digital assets became a notable part of his personal business interests and political agenda.

These ties have become one reason for criticism against the President and his appointed regulators. The conflict of interest has been particularly sharply debated by Democrats during work on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, which is supposed to set rules for the crypto market and is considered one of the industry's key initiatives.

Democrats insisted that such legislation should include a ban on senior officials having personal business ties with cryptocurrency projects. However, the corresponding provision has not yet been agreed upon in Senate negotiations, and there is little time left before a potential vote.

The family context around the crypto business also heightens attention to the topic: stakes and income are linked to Donald Trump and his relatives, although the main disclosed sum pertains specifically to the President. Melania Trump is not named as a source of key crypto income in this section.

Vice President James David Vance, in his annual disclosure, reported owning Bitcoin worth between $100,000 and $500,000 through a Coinbase account.

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