Trump Crypto Earnings Hit Nearly $3 Billion in Second Term, NPR Reports
President Donald Trump and his family have made nearly $3 billion in his second term, most of it from cryptocurrency, according to an NPR report published on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, that puts a number on what researchers call the most lucrative presidency in American history.
The report, by NPR's Rafael Nam, puts the family's Trump crypto earnings at nearly $3 billion, drawing on the president's disclosures and research by Will Ragland at the Center for American Progress. “Nobody has made more money while in office in the U.S. than President Trump,” Ragland told NPR.
Key Points
- NPR reported on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, that the Trump family has made nearly $3 billion in his second term, mostly from cryptocurrency.
- The $Trump memecoin, launched days before his inauguration, has made more than $600 million, per the president's own disclosures.
- World Liberty Financial, co-founded by Mr Trump and his sons, has earned the family $1.4 billion, researchers told NPR.
- Sheikh Tahnoon of the UAE royal family invested $500 million in World Liberty; months later the UAE received the advanced US AI chips it sought.
- On CBS 60 Minutes on Sunday, November 8, 2026, Mr Trump defended his rising wealth, saying “You should've had stock”.
What Happened
The NPR report is the fullest accounting yet of the Trump family's earnings in office: nearly $3 billion, with cryptocurrency supplying the overwhelming share.
The largest source is World Liberty Financial, the crypto company co-founded by Mr Trump and his sons and now just over two years old. Researchers told NPR it has earned the family $1.4 billion. The second is the $Trump memecoin, launched days before his inauguration in January 2025, which has made more than $600 million per the president's own disclosures.
The report also details foreign money flowing into the family's crypto ventures. Sheikh Tahnoon, a member of the UAE royal family, invested $500 million in World Liberty, first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Months later, the UAE received the advanced American AI chips it sought, a sequence the report presents without alleging a direct exchange. Forbes put Mr Trump's net worth at about $6 billion, up from $2.3 billion in 2024.
Background: A Presidency Built on Crypto
The Trump family's crypto empire was built in plain sight. The $Trump memecoin launched days before the inauguration, and Mr Trump held a dinner last year for the coin's top holders, many of them foreign nationals. World Liberty Financial followed, co-founded by the president and his sons, and became the family's most valuable crypto asset.
Mr Trump has governed as the most crypto-friendly president in history, easing regulation of digital assets. That posture has coincided with a surge in the value of the family's own holdings, a pairing ethics experts have flagged from the start. The earnings arrive as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress in January after sweeping the November 3 midterms, promising sweeping investigations of the Trump family's business dealings. Read more: Democrats Plan Sweeping Investigations of Trump Family Business After 2026 Congress Win.
Trump Crypto Earnings: Where the Money Came From
The nearly $3 billion breaks down into two dominant streams. World Liberty Financial accounts for $1.4 billion, researchers told NPR, while the $Trump memecoin has produced more than $600 million, per the president's own disclosures. Together, the two ventures account for about $2 billion of the total, the rest spread across wider family crypto and business holdings.
What the report establishes is the shape of the fortune: not hotels or golf courses, the businesses that defined Mr Trump's wealth for decades, but digital tokens and a crypto firm that barely existed two years ago. The $500 million from Sheikh Tahnoon is the most striking single foreign stake, arriving as the Emirates lobbied Washington for advanced US AI chips. The White House denies any quid pro quo; the report does not claim one.
Reactions and Quotes
Mr Trump defended the fortune himself on CBS 60 Minutes on Sunday, November 8, 2026. Asked about the rise in his wealth, he was defiant. “You should've had stock,” he said, adding: “I devote almost no time to my net worth.” He confirmed he co-owns World Liberty Financial but distanced himself from its operations. “I know nothing about it,” he said, and when pressed on divesting, asked: “How do you divest from cash?”
The White House denied Mr Trump peddled influence for his family's benefit, and the administration denied any quid pro quo over the UAE chip shipment. World Liberty declined to comment.
Researchers want the incoming Democratic Congress to investigate the family's crypto earnings, and Representative Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on House Oversight, posted “lawyer up”. Read more: White House Warns Democrats Their Planned Probes Could Be 'Blatant Criminality'.
Why It Matters
The report quantifies a conflict of interest without modern precedent. No previous president has made anything approaching $3 billion in office, or held a fortune tied so directly to an industry his administration regulates.
It matters also because of who is paying. The memecoin's top holders include many foreign nationals, and the largest single foreign investment in World Liberty came from a Gulf royal whose government was seeking American technology. The Constitution's emoluments clauses bar presidents from accepting payments from foreign governments, and whether crypto profits count is a question Congress and the courts have never settled.
What Happens Next
The incoming Democratic Congress takes power in January, with the family's crypto earnings among its first targets. The House Oversight Committee, under Mr Garcia, has signalled the family's business dealings will be investigated, and researchers urge it to subpoena World Liberty and memecoin records.
Mr Trump has shown no sign of backing down. His 60 Minutes answers suggest he sees the earnings as a success story, not a liability, and the White House denies any wrongdoing. The family business keeps growing: the president's media company swung to a $409.7 million quarterly profit. Read more: Trump Media Swings to $409.7 Million Profit as Q3 Revenue Triples on Truth API.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much has the Trump family made in the second term?
Nearly $3 billion, per an NPR report published Tuesday, November 10, 2026, based on the president's disclosures and research by Will Ragland.
Where did most of the money come from?
Cryptocurrency. World Liberty Financial has earned the family $1.4 billion, and the $Trump memecoin has made more than $600 million, per the president's own disclosures.
What did Trump say about the earnings on 60 Minutes?
On Sunday, November 8, 2026, Mr Trump said “You should've had stock” and “I devote almost no time to my net worth”, confirming he co-owns World Liberty but saying “I know nothing about it”.
Who is Sheikh Tahnoon and what did he invest?
Sheikh Tahnoon is a member of the UAE royal family who invested $500 million in World Liberty Financial, first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Months later, the UAE received the advanced US AI chips it sought.
Will Congress investigate the Trump family's crypto earnings?
Researchers urge the incoming Democratic Congress to investigate, and Representative Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on House Oversight, posted “lawyer up” after the election.
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