Trump insists ‘there's nothing wrong' with his big crypto gains

President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that he was not aware of the extent of his digital asset holdings but said there was nothing illegal about his involvement, following disclosures about his family companies' crypto windfall.

Trump reported earlier this week earning at least $1.4 billion in 2025 from crypto and memecoin-related firms. The president, who turned over the running of his business operations to his two eldest sons, was asked by CNBC whether he was aware of the crypto ventures.

"I could know about it," Trump said in an interview at the White House. "I didn't."

In the financial disclosures, Trump reported making about $594 million from World Liberty Financial, which he and his sons co-founded, roughly $636 million in income tied to his memecoin business and nearly $197 million from an equity sale related to Stablecoin Holdco.

"There's nothing illegal. There's nothing wrong with it. I could know," Trump said about his dealings with the family business.

A onetime crypto skeptic, Trump became a champion of the industry during the 2024 election and once back in office has advocated policies and legislation seen as beneficial to crypto investors.

The financial disclosures heightened concerns among critics that Trump, who did not divest his assets for his White House tenure, may be profiting from his role as head of state. Opponents have regularly accused him of mixing official duties with his financial interests.

The president said in the CNBC interview that his goal was to ensure that the U.S. became dominant in crypto.

"You look at it the way it's grown over the years, you have believers, you don't have believers, you know, whatever it is, but it's a big deal, and anything we do, I want to be number one in, and we're number one in crypto," Trump said.

The president seemed to express sympathy for his children because of the impact his position in office had on running the business and the implication that they would have insider information for their dealings.

"It's pretty tough in that sense. I tell my kids: stay away from as much as you can stay away from. But they also have a life," Trump said.

The financial disclosure, which was released Tuesday by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, listed more than 680 pages of transactions, including purchases and sales of equities, including Amazon.com Inc. and Apple Inc.

Nvidia Corp., Microsoft Corp., Netflix Inc. and Exxon Mobil Corp. were among the most frequently traded stocks in his portfolio.

Trump said he did not speak to the people who handle his investments.

"I've made a tremendous amount of money, more than I would have ever thought I would have made. And I let people invest it," he added. "I don't even know who they are. But it's given to big firms."

Trump acknowledged news reporting about his holdings in Nvidia. "I think it's very small," he said. "I think it's one of many companies that one of the big Wall Street firms invests in."

The White House has dismissed suggestions that Trump's financial assets represent a conflict of interest. After the disclosures were made public earlier this week, Trump downplayed his earnings and said he was wealthy before he came into office.

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This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 10:04 PM.