President "Didn't Even Know" About $1.4B Crypto Haul — Knows There's Nothing Wrong With It 🤷

President Donald Trump told CNBC's Joe Kernen in a Thursday interview that he was not aware of the $1.4 billion in crypto-related income disclosed in his 2025 financial disclosure report, while adding there was "nothing illegal" and "nothing wrong" with profiting from his crypto investments while in office. The disclosure, released earlier this week by the US Office of Government Ethics, shows Trump took in more than $2 billion from businesses and investments overall during 2025, of which roughly $1.4 billion was tied to crypto ventures.

The president stated that other people are responsible for his investments and claimed he didn't "even know who they are," declining to directly address questions about perceived conflicts of interest arising from his role as president and his family's involvement in digital assets. Of the $1.4 billion in disclosed crypto income, Trump's Official Trump (TRUMP) memecoin generated about $636 million, World Liberty Financial sales about $588 million, and approximately $197 million came from equity in a stablecoin venture.

The release of the disclosure had been preceded by advocacy organizations characterizing the investments as a "grift" that could allow the president to influence related legislation such as the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act. Speaking on CNN's Anderson Cooper on Friday, the president's niece Mary Trump said, "Donald is once again pushing the envelope and nobody, nobody is putting the brakes on it," adding that "a lot of people are likely to get away with a lot of financial crimes that have done real harm to people that have invested in Donald's businesses because they believed in him and what he was selling."

Trump's stance toward the crypto sector has shifted markedly since his first term, when he called Bitcoin ($BTC) a "scam." In the run-up to the 2024 election, he began engaging with high-profile industry figures including Gemini co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, as well as executives at mining companies and exchanges. He has since launched the Official Trump (TRUMP) memecoin and become personally involved with World Liberty Financial and American Bitcoin.

Crypto industry spending on US elections is on track to exceed 2024 levels. After digital asset companies spent a reported $170 million supporting candidates they regarded as "pro-crypto" during the 2024 Congressional cycle, public filings reviewed by consumer advocacy group Public Citizen show that companies and figures linked to the crypto industry had contributed $189 million to the current election cycle as of June. Those contributions made up the bulk of the $294 million spent so far by crypto, AI, Big Tech, and online betting companies to support or oppose politicians, with all 435 seats in the US House of Representatives up for election during Trump's term, which ends in January 2029.