Trump defends big crypto gain, says 'there's nothing illegal'

[President Trump Signs Executive Order In The Oval Office]
Alex Wong/Getty Images News

President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was not aware of the extent of his digital asset holdings but maintained there was nothing illegal about his involvement, after financial disclosures revealed the scale of his family's crypto-related earnings.

Earlier this week, Trump disclosed earning at least $1.4B [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4608710-trump-financial-disclosure-crypto-ventures-drive-more-than-14b-in-income]in 2025 from cryptocurrency and memecoin ventures. Asked by CNBC whether he was aware of the family's crypto businesses, Trump said: “I could know about it,” Trump said in an interview at the White House. “I didn’t.”

The disclosures showed Trump earned about $594M from World Liberty Financial, which he co-founded with his sons, roughly $636M from his memecoin business, and nearly $197M 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.

Once a cryptocurrency skeptic, Trump embraced the industry during the 2024 presidential campaign and, since returning to office, has backed policies and legislation viewed as favorable to digital assets.

The disclosures have fueled criticism from opponents, who argue Trump could be benefiting financially from his position because he did not divest his assets before returning to the White House.

Trump, however, said his objective was to make the U.S. the global leader in cryptocurrencies.

“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.

He also expressed sympathy for his children, saying his presidency complicated their ability to manage the family business without facing allegations of having insider information.

“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 [https://seekingalpha.com/news/4608672-us-ethics-office-releases-trumps-2025-927-page-financial-disclosure-report], released Tuesday by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, detailed hundreds of transactions, including purchases and sales of stocks such as Amazon (AMZN [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AMZN]) and Apple (AAPL [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/AAPL]). Nvidia (NVDA [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/NVDA]), Microsoft (MSFT [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/MSFT]), Netflix (NFLX [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/NFLX]) and Exxon Mobil (XOM [https://seekingalpha.com/symbol/XOM]) were among the most frequently traded holdings.

Trump said he has no direct involvement in managing 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.”

Responding to reports about his Nvidia holdings, Trump said:

“I think it’s very small. I think it’s one of many companies that one of the big Wall Street firms invests in.”

The White House has rejected claims that Trump's financial assets pose a conflict of interest. Following the release of the disclosures earlier this week, Trump downplayed the earnings and said he was already wealthy before taking office.

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