Trump Defends Family Business as Estimates Put Fortune Near $7 Billion

Trump said he pays little attention to his net worth and that his son Donald Trump Jr. oversees his money. He also said he does not take a presidential salary. Forbes has estimated Trump’s fortune at about $6 billion, compared with $2.3 billion in 2024; a September estimate put it near $7 billion, an increase of $2.7 billion since his 2024 election victory.

Trump’s 2025 financial disclosures, released in June, listed more than $1 billion in cryptocurrency income. The filings included $635 million from sales of his $Trump meme coin, which debuted shortly before his inauguration, and more than $236 million from token sales through World Liberty Financial, a firm established by Trump, special envoy Steve Witkoff, and their sons.

The disclosures also listed $65.6 million from a World Liberty equity sale and $205 million in stablecoin investment proceeds. They showed licensing and management income from projects abroad, including in Qatar, Romania, India, Vietnam, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia.

Asked about the family’s business activity while he is president, Trump said his sons run the company and argued that presidents face similar issues. Interviewer Ross Douthat replied that more people had pursued such activity while serving in the administration. Trump responded that he is a bigger name than other presidents.

The interview was Trump’s first long-form sit-down since Republicans lost control of both chambers in the midterm elections. Democrats have said they will scrutinize the Trump family’s overseas business interests when the new Congress convenes on January 3.

Trump’s Billion-Dollar Business Gains Demand Congressional Scrutiny

Donald Trump says he scarcely pays attention to his wealth. But his 2025 financial disclosures listed more than $1 billion in cryptocurrency income, including $635 million from sales of a digital token that debuted shortly before his inauguration, alongside income from overseas real estate projects.

Estimates place Trump’s fortune between about $6 billion and $7 billion, well above the $2.3 billion estimate for 2024. The disclosures also listed more than $236 million from token sales through World Liberty Financial, $205 million in stablecoin investment proceeds and fees connected to projects in Qatar, Romania, India, Vietnam, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia.

In the November 6 interview, Trump said his sons run the family company and argued that every president faces similar conflicts. Ross Douthat challenged that comparison, saying more people had pursued such activity while serving in the administration. Trump replied that he is a bigger name than other presidents.

That defense does not resolve the central concern: a president’s family business interests are expanding while he holds office. Democrats have pledged oversight investigations into the family’s overseas dealings once Congress convenes on January 3. With Republicans having lost both chambers in the midterms, those questions are poised to become a focus of congressional scrutiny.

Trump Says Sons Run Business as Critics Target His Wealth

Donald Trump says he pays little attention to his fortune and leaves money matters to his son Donald Trump Jr. In a November 6 interview, he defended his sons’ continued business activity, saying it is difficult to tell them to stop working for four years while he is president.

The financial disclosures list substantial income, including more than $1 billion from cryptocurrency and licensing and management fees from projects abroad. Forbes estimates have placed Trump’s wealth at about $6 billion to $7 billion, compared with $2.3 billion in 2024. Trump said he does not take a presidential salary and argued that every president has faced questions involving people around them.

Interviewer Ross Douthat pushed back, saying more people had pursued business activity while serving in the administration. Trump answered that he is a bigger name than other presidents. His response framed the issue as one faced by presidents generally, rather than a reason to halt his sons’ company.

Democrats, who have promised investigations into the Trump family’s overseas business interests when the new Congress convenes on January 3, are turning those dealings into an oversight priority. The interview came after Republicans lost both chambers in the midterm elections. The disclosures and Trump’s defense now sit at the center of a political fight over whether his family’s business activities warrant congressional scrutiny.