US President Trump Dismissed Questions on a Three-Billion-Dollar Net Worth Increase
US Donald Trump dismissed questions on 60 Minutes regarding a three-billion-dollar increase in his net worth since returning to the White House, telling interviewer Ross Douthat that “everybody” made money, the Tagesspiegel reported.
Three Billion Dollars Plus
The exchange on the US television program centered on a sharp rise in presidential wealth. Interviewer Ross Douthat noted that Trump’s net worth climbed by approximately three billion dollars, or about 2.67 billion euros, since taking office again, according to the Tagesspiegel report.
“Everybody made that much plus,” Trump countered. When Douthat clarified that his own net worth had not risen by three billion, Trump replied, “Then you should have had stocks.”
Ross Douthat asks the President how his net worth rose by nearly $3 billion, according to a Forbes estimate, since he returned to office. Watch the interview Sunday at 7 p.m. ET/PT on 60 Minutes. pic.twitter.com/NnHuZa1Mk2
Douthat pressed further on the cryptocurrency firm World Liberty Financial, founded in 2024 by Trump’s sons and sons of special envoy Steve Witkoff, which yields 75 percent of net proceeds to the Trump family. Trump initially asked which son was meant, then confirmed the enterprise belonged to him before claiming ignorance of the details.
“I have no idea.”
Douthat: There's a Forbes story that said that your net worth went up by $3 billion. Trump: Well, so did everyone's Douthat: My net worth did not go up by three billion, for the record. Trump: Well, you should have had stock. pic.twitter.com/QHxfJyRT1j
Journalist Challenges Claims About Revenue Sources
Forbes Dan Alexander disputed the president’s defense on X, writing that Trump’s response was nonsense and that such enrichment during the opening days of an administration was unprecedented, the Tagesspiegel reported.
Alexander detailed that the gains stemmed from over one billion dollars in crypto revenue, one billion in created crypto tokens, 400 million from brand licensing, and the removal of a 500-million-dollar penalty. Alexander also noted that Trump remains an active “micromanager” who intervenes in matters such as the landscaping of golf courses or product logos.
Meanwhile, n-tv.de reported that Democratic lawmakers, following their midterm election victories, are turning their focus to startup investments by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. in the defense sector, citing Washington Post findings that firms backed by the Trump sons’ investment vehicles secured 3.2 billion dollars in government contracts and 3.1 billion in options.
Trump Disputes Election Fairness Without Proof
Away from financial scrutiny, Trump used his platform Truth Social to cast doubt on the recent congressional election results despite a lack of evidence. Trump questioned whether the vote was fair, pointing to polling discrepancies and suggesting voting machines altered the outcome. “Does anyone really believe that this ‘election’ was fair?” Trump wrote. He also suggested that mail-in voting and voting machines are particularly vulnerable to fraud.
The appointment of Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff indicated a hardline veto stance against the newly democratic-led Congress. Trump also disputed the Alaska Senate race, urging officials to declare incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan the winner over Democrat Mary Peltola.
In Alaska, 53-year-old Peltola currently holds a narrow lead over 61-year-old Sullivan. The dispute follows concerns regarding a candidate on the ballot with a nearly identical name, Dan J. Sullivan. While the Trump administration previously attempted to intervene in the voting process, a court blocked the effort.
1/ I'll explain exactly how this happened because I'm the person at Forbes who calculates these numbers. This is going to take some unraveling, but here's a spoiler: The president's answer here is nonsense. https://t.co/X5tz4shHzz
Investigations into Family Interests
Democratic lawmakers are preparing corruption investigations into Trump's family members following their midterm success. Much of the scrutiny targets the defense sector investments made by Eric and Donald Trump Jr. through their investment vehicles, 1789 Capital and American Ventures. Democrats have also expressed long-standing dissatisfaction with Jared Kushner's conflicts of interest as a US special envoy regarding the war in Ukraine and the peace plan for the Gaza Strip.
Representative Garcia told CNN that investigations into Kushner and Trump Jr. are a certainty, noting that Don Jr. received “hundreds of thousands” of dollars from a Russian oligarch for a wedding in the Bahamas. While the White House stated that Don Jr. repaid the money, Democrats argue the potential for corruption is obvious. The question remains whether these investigations will lead to formal charges.