Trump’s unprecedented income under fire

When Harry Truman left the White House, he had no income except for a monthly pension of $113 (£85) from the military. The 33rd president of the United States later wrote, "It is not right to use the dignity and honor of the presidency for commercial purposes."

George W. Bush transferred all his investments to a 'blind trust' (a system where the owner of the property does not manage his own funds) before running for president. In his last week in office, Bush said he had no idea how the 2008 recession had affected his own wealth.

But the opposite has been true for current US President Donald Trump. A new financial report has found that Donald Trump earned at least $2.2 billion (£1.7 billion) during his final term in office. According to historians, this is unprecedented for any US president.

Historian Barbara Perry said, "This is unprecedented. It is completely unique in the history of the presidency." The report said that a large part of Trump's income came from the cryptocurrency sector. He earned about $ 1.4 billion from this sector alone.

He received about $ 635 million in royalties through a company called 'Celebration Coin', which is believed to be related to the $ TRUMP meme coin he launched.

In addition, he earned more than $ 500 million from a crypto business called 'World Liberty Financial'. This company is associated with the families of his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump and his special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Trump's income increased almost fourfold in 2025 compared to 2024.

The White House, however, says that Trump or his family are not involved in any conflict of interest. They claim that all decisions are made in the interest of the American people.

However, historians say that while relatives of some past presidents have made profits in business, there is no precedent for a president himself to make such a large personal profit.

There have been cases of political corruption in the United States before, such as during the administrations of Ulysses S. Grant and Warren Harding. However, according to experts, presidents in the past have not directly made such a large personal profit.

According to analysts, the biggest difference in Trump's case is that he and his family have made huge business profits while directly in office.

On the other hand, Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden and Jimmy Carter's brother have been involved in business activities in the past, but it is not considered comparable to the president's direct profits.

Trump handed control of his family business to his sons before his second term, but did not place assets in any 'blind trust'.

Critics say Trump's huge income in various sectors, including crypto, creates a conflict of interest. Former White House ethics adviser Richard Painter said, "This is a clear conflict of interest. It's very concerning for the public."

Source: BBC