{"id":4919,"date":"2026-07-01T18:35:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T18:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/07\/01\/trump-accused-of-disgusting-greed-after-earning-over-2bn-since-return-to-office\/"},"modified":"2026-07-01T18:35:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T18:35:11","slug":"trump-accused-of-disgusting-greed-after-earning-over-2bn-since-return-to-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=4919","title":{"rendered":"Trump accused of \u2018disgusting\u2019 greed after earning over $2bn since return to office"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-gu-name=\"media\" class=\"dcr-14sl0e4\">\n<div class=\"dcr-17l77cs\">\n<figure id=\"5494c566-9c28-4387-99ed-3da7528b7848\" class=\"dcr-191xnya\">\n<div id=\"img-1\" class=\"dcr-1t7hdmw\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"a cutout of a man holding up a bitcoin\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/aa9aecdc0498c9cf2b51ac64b8c8a1a2c962cc5e\/0_0_5361_3574\/master\/5361.jpg?width=465&amp;dpr=1&amp;s=none&amp;crop=none\" width=\"465\" height=\"310\" loading=\"eager\" class=\"dcr-up96pv\"><span class=\"dcr-kogzpx\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-18mnkpm\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1294qmb\"><label for=\"the-checkbox\" class=\"dcr-4sl2vt\"><\/label> <\/p>\n<div id=\"the-caption\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1mfxiaj\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">A cutout of Donald Trump holding a Bitcoin is displayed on a group of servers during the Bitcoin conference at the Venetian Las Vegas on 27 May 2025.<\/span> Photograph: Ian Maule\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><a href=\"#img-1\" data-ignore=\"global-link-styling\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-zwabc0\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><button data-element-id=\"5494c566-9c28-4387-99ed-3da7528b7848\" type=\"button\" class=\"open-lightbox dcr-1bitgpn\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><span class=\"dcr-1shbixy\">View image in fullscreen<\/span><\/button><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"dcr-qda0hp\"><figcaption data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\" class=\"dcr-1e9iiy9\"><span class=\"dcr-13i4yc9\"><\/span><span class=\"dcr-1cipnsy\">A cutout of Donald Trump holding a Bitcoin is displayed on a group of servers during the Bitcoin conference at the Venetian Las Vegas on 27 May 2025.<\/span> Photograph: Ian Maule\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/span><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"headline\" class=\"dcr-ql9l8l\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6mja0y\">\n<h1 class=\"dcr-l0wuod\">Trump accused of \u2018disgusting\u2019 greed after earning over $2bn since return to office<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"standfirst\" class=\"dcr-1xpojbf\">\n<div class=\"dcr-1gm5ptv\">\n<p>Elizabeth Warren and colleagues demanded tighter rules on political figures\u2019 crypto dealings, citing disclosures of large-scale Trump family profits<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/live\/2026\/jun\/30\/birthright-citizenship-supreme-court-donald-trump-us-politics-latest-news\" data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\">US politics live \u2013 latest updates<\/a><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"body\" class=\"dcr-x1al2c\">\n<div class=\"dcr-11gq2tx\">\n<div id=\"maincontent\" class=\"dcr-1w2vkyc\">\n<div class=\"article-body-commercial-selector article-body-viewer-selector dcr-ogvvui\">\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Donald Trump<\/a> has again been accused of \u201cbrazen crypto corruption\u201d after financial disclosures revealed his family\u2019s cryptocurrency ventures generated more than $1bn in his first year back in the White House.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jun\/30\/trump-1bn-crypto-businesses-2025\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">927-page disclosure<\/a>, released on Tuesday by the US Office of Government Ethics, showed that the US president had earned more than $2.2bn last year in total, from real estate, golf resorts, branded merchandise, licensing deals and court settlements.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">But a set of extraordinary crypto takings stood out: World Liberty Financial, a joint venture between the Trump family and that of Trump\u2019s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, brought in more than $500m from sales of \u201cgovernance tokens\u201d, while another firm, CIC Digital LLC, generated more than $600m from Trump-branded meme coins, launched days before his second inauguration.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/elizabeth-warren\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Elizabeth Warren<\/a>, the top Democrat on the Senate banking committee, said the figures showed why US Congress needed to act.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"64ed65ca-d7b8-49c3-9a32-45dfc5c083e3\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-4 | 4\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1rx5ky9\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-15vltj4\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/01\/crypto-ventures-stock-key-takeaways-trump-financial-disclosures\" class=\"dcr-f35c0u\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-vvxpdt\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6z6e7\">\n<div class=\"dcr-zh9rih\">Crypto and stock stakes: key takeaways from Trump\u2019s financial disclosures<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-oj13vq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ef9nua\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">\u201cThe crypto legislation heading to the Senate floor must prevent the President, Vice President, senior administration officials, members of Congress, and their families from profiting off the crypto industry,\u201d said Warren. \u201cIf it does not, it will only turbocharge Donald Trump\u2019s brazen crypto corruption.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Juliana Stratton, the Illinois lieutenant governor and a Democratic Senate candidate, wrote on social media that Trump\u2019s \u201cinfinite greed is disgusting\u201d, adding: \u201cDonald Trump uses the office of the president to make billions while American families struggle to afford their basic needs.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Gavin Newsom, California\u2019s governor, said the disclosures \u201cshowed exactly\u201d how Trump played his crypto cards, noting that many investors had lost out. \u201cHe got richer,\u201d said Newsom. \u201cHis crypto supporters got rug-pulled.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Asked about the disclosures on Wednesday, Trump waved off the scrutiny. \u201cI made a lot of money before I became president,\u201d he told reporters. The White House has long maintained his businesses are walled off from his official duties, run by his adult sons, and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">In his second term, the president and his family have invested heavily in digital money and crypto businesses, with Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2025\/mar\/07\/trump-crypto-leaders-meeting\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">announcing at the start of last year<\/a> that he wanted the US to be the \u201ccrypto capital of the world\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Trump also made millions last year from selling <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/article\/2024\/aug\/16\/trump-civil-penalties-finance-disclosure\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Trump-branded Bibles<\/a>, trainers and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2025\/jun\/21\/trump-products-presidency-as-a-brand\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">other small items<\/a>, in another unprecedented move for the presidency. In the Trump-branded <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2024\/sep\/30\/donald-trump-watches-merchandise\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">watches<\/a> category alone, the president earned $4.7m.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"84da548e-15a0-4f64-bda5-909a88588ca5\" class=\"element element-interactive element--inline element-inline dcr-xtpwhu\" data-alt=\"Chart\" data-testid=\"interactive-element-Chart\" data-spacefinder-role=\"inline\">\n<div data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1x767ir\"><\/div>\n<p><a data-name=\"placeholder\" href=\"https:\/\/interactive.guim.co.uk\/datawrapper\/embed\/t3xLI\/1\/\" class=\"dcr-olkhl1\">Chart<\/a><\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The rise of crypto relative to Trump\u2019s property is especially noteworthy given the president racked up tens of millions from fees and licensing deals in a flurry of new hotel, resort and condo deals overseas. Many of those countries were negotiating with the US over tariffs, military aid and other important matters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">A property in the United Arab Emirates took in $10.4m; one in Saudi Arabia being built by a real estate developer close to the ruling family sent the president\u2019s company $9m; and one in Bucharest, Romania, and another in Qatar each sent Trump $5m.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The disclosure report also detailed payments of more than $86m to the president from five separate legal settlements with media and social media companies including ABC, CBS, YouTube, Meta and X.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The latest disclosures add to a string of controversies over the Trump family\u2019s crypto dealings. In June, the Ultimate Fighting Championship <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jun\/14\/white-house-ufc-fighters-crypto\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">said it would pay<\/a> fighter bonuses in USD1, a stablecoin issued by World Liberty Financial, at a mixed martial arts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jun\/13\/trump-ufc-birthday-white-house\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">event<\/a> staged on the White House\u2019s South Lawn for the president\u2019s birthday. (World Liberty was an official sponsor of the event.)<\/p>\n<figure id=\"c28ae302-286d-483a-ae27-4fa43dccf7c2\" data-spacefinder-role=\"richLink\" data-spacefinder-type=\"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.RichLinkBlockElement\" class=\"dcr-1oq85qr\">\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-16 | 16\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-name=\"placeholder\" class=\"dcr-1rx5ky9\">\n<div data-format-theme=\"5\" data-format-design=\"0\" data-format-display=\"0\" class=\"dcr-15vltj4\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/01\/trump-qatar-air-force-one-first-flight\" class=\"dcr-f35c0u\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-vvxpdt\">\n<div class=\"dcr-6z6e7\">\n<div class=\"dcr-zh9rih\">Trump takes first flight on Qatar-gifted Air Force One amid criticism<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-oj13vq\">\n<div class=\"dcr-ef9nua\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Congressional Democrats want a fuller reckoning. Warren\u2019s staff reported last week that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.banking.senate.gov\/newsroom\/minority\/warren-releases-new-report-american-national-security-for-sale\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">officials linked to the United Arab Emirates<\/a> invested roughly $500m in World Liberty Financial, after which the administration took at least 10 actions benefiting the UAE, including on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/artificialintelligenceai\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">AI<\/a> chip exports \u2013 an arrangement Warren has called a potential \u201cpay-to-play\u201d scheme.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">She and four other senators wrote to Senate committees on 23 June demanding hearings into the deal, under which associates of an Abu Dhabi royal bought a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial for roughly half a billion dollars four days before Trump\u2019s inauguration. Separately, Adam Schiff, a US senator, is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.schiff.senate.gov\/news\/press-releases\/news-sen-schiff-leads-probe-of-binance-routing-funds-to-iran-backed-proxy-groups-raises-conflict-of-interest-from-trump-ties\/\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">leading an inquiry<\/a> into the crypto exchange Binance over reports it evaded US sanctions on Iran, citing Binance\u2019s ties to World Liberty Financial.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">Not every effort to curb the US president\u2019s crypto dealings has succeeded. An amendment barring the president, vice-president and Congress members and their families from owning or promoting crypto businesses <a href=\"https:\/\/finance.yahoo.com\/markets\/crypto\/articles\/clarity-act-news-senate-kills-103625720.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">was voted down<\/a> by the US Senate banking committee along party lines, even as the underlying Clarity Act advanced.<\/p>\n<p class=\"dcr-1s160rg\">The scrutiny landed just before Trump <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/01\/trump-qatar-air-force-one-first-flight\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">took his first flight<\/a> onboard the new Air Force One, a Boeing 747 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jun\/19\/trump-air-force-one-qatar\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">gifted<\/a> to the US by Qatar, en route to North Dakota for the dedication of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, which he called the \u201cbest plane ever built\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-print-layout=\"hide\" class=\"dcr-swayiu\"><span class=\"dcr-1xhbmzr\">Explore more on these topics<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-2c03t5\">\n<ul class=\"dcr-p7nd18\">\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/donaldtrump\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/us-news\/us-politics\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">US politics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/technology\/cryptocurrencies\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">Cryptocurrencies<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/technology\/artificialintelligenceai\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">AI (artificial intelligence)<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"dcr-r721ee\"><a href=\"\/tone\/news\" class=\"dcr-856iwi\">news<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dcr-313bdz\"><a href=\"mailto:?subject=Trump%20accused%20of%20%E2%80%98disgusting%E2%80%99%20greed%20after%20earning%20over%20%242bn%20since%20return%20to%20office&amp;body=https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2026\/jul\/01\/trump-accused-one-billion-dollars-crypto-venture?CMP=share_btn_url\" class=\"dcr-ncybeu\">Share<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"dcr-19bkree\"><a data-link-name=\"meta-syndication-article\" href=\"https:\/\/syndication.theguardian.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fus-news%2F2026%2Fjul%2F01%2Ftrump-accused-one-billion-dollars-crypto-venture&amp;type=article&amp;internalpagecode=us-news\/2026\/jul\/01\/trump-accused-one-billion-dollars-crypto-venture\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer\" title=\"Reuse this content\" class=\"dcr-1c41onw\">Reuse this content<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-gu-name=\"right-column\" class=\"dcr-axwinp\"><span class=\"dcr-1ryr20k\"><\/span><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A cutout of Donald Trump holding a Bitcoin is displayed on a group of servers during the Bitcoin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":4921,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4919\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}