‘I GUESS IT'S GONE UP’

Trump’s Shady Explanation for Wealth Blows Up in His Face

A prominent finance journalist broke down Trump’s lucrative business deals in a 29-post thread.

Donald Trump has been called out for a string of denials about his billions of dollars in profiteering since 2024.

On Sunday, CBS aired Trump’s 60 Minutes interview with CBS correspondent Ross Douthat, a conservative Catholic writer who was hired in the show’s latest shakeup after his time as the New York Times’ resident conservative commentator.

In his interview with the president, Douthat challenged Trump on his $3 billion net worth jump since he reentered office in 2024. In the clip, Trump tries to take control of the conversation and rebuff Douthat’s claims.

“I devote almost no time to my net worth, I don’t care, I have a lot of money, far more than I’ve ever thought I’d have,” Trump told Douthat. “I guess it’s gone up, I don’t even know.”

Trump instead attributed his newfound wealth to his son, Eric, who manages the Trump Organization, Trump’s cryptocurrency ventures and overseas investments alongside Donald Jr., his elder brother.

One Trump finance expert, however, was not satisfied with the explanation.

Forbes senior editor and author of White House, Inc: How Donald Trump Turned The Presidency Into a Business, Dan Alexander, scrutinized Trump’s claims in a 29-post thread on X, where the journalist provided a timeline of the president’s profiteering.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment regarding Alexander’s comments.

According to Alexander, in March 2024, “the president brought the Trump Media and Technology Group, the company that operates Truth Social, to the public markets. Trump fans went nuts.”

The Trump Media move reportedly ballooned Trump’s net worth by $1.88 billion between March and the fall of 2024, which “made him the first US politician to make $1B on politics,” Alexander wrote.

Before the election, the Trump family founded World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency business that attracted hundreds of millions in investments from venture capitalists and royals from Abu Dhabi, including Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, from which Trump got a cut. According to reports from CNN, an investment firm tied to the United Arab Emirates acquired a $500 million stake in Trump’s crypto company.

“President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public – which is why they overwhelmingly re-elected him to this office, despite years of lies and false accusations against him and his businesses from the fake news media. President Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children. There are no conflicts of interest,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told CNN at the time.

Alexander wrote that the dealmaking led to “staggering amounts of cash by the end of 2025,” noting “$1,425,000,000 of liquidity from those two ventures in one year.”

Trump’s overseas licensing deals also padded his pocket before and after his second presidency began, Alexander said. According to estimates, Trump or his family received over $107 million in annual licensing income in 2024 and 2025 from pasting his name and likeness on overseas real estate, much of that being in the Middle East.

All of which and more, Alexander said, contributed to the $3 billion boost to the president’s pay grade.

“You should’ve had stock,” Trump told Douthat.

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Christopher Buchanan

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