The many ways Donald Trump has made billions of dollars in his second term

US president and former Apprentice star Donald Trump has long been associated with money, what with his reputation as a businessman prior to entering America's top political office, but now the Republican is president (once again), his wealth has come under increased scrutiny.

Per a financial disclosure in June, the convicted felon raked in more than $2.2 billion in 2025 - his first year back in the White House.

We've broken down from where Trump has got the cash...

Cryptocurrency

indy100 reported in July that Trump generated almost $1.2 billion from his cryptocurrency businesses in 2025, with over $500 million in earnings coming from the World Liberty Financial crypto venture (including "governance tokens"), and CIC Digital LLC bringing in more than $600 million from Trump-branded 'memecoins' bearing his image - per an Office of Government Ethics filing.

Truth API

Many of us will be familiar with Trump's own social media network, Truth Social, but in early August, its parent company Trump Media and Technology Group launched Truth API, offering early access to posts by the US president on the platform - for a price, of course.

While BBC News reports Trump Media saw a loss of $238 million between April and June of this year, it also said that more than 10 customers have signed up to the service, and are being charged $60,000 to $100,000 a month for the privilege.

Merchandise

As of April, the Trump Store had launched at least 622 Trump-branded products since Trump entered the White House for a second time, according to watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics (CREW).

That equates to almost $43,000, and in addition to the incredibly familiar red Trump caps, the store flogs T-shirts, a pickleball paddle for $180 and Trump coffee pods for $18.

Responding to the non-profit's report, the White House redirected The Independent to past comments made by then press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said: "The claims that this President has profited from his time in office are absolutely absurd — in comparison to what he could have made if he didn’t have to deal with the fake news and corrupt political opponents, the President has lost hundreds of millions of dollars to serve this country.”

Foreign developments

CREW also published analysis which said Trump has created at least 34 new companies during his second administration, and that while the majority of his 2025 revenue from these new ventures concerned cryptocurrency ($797,637,149), more than $54 million came from new foreign properties in the Middle East, Asia and eastern Europe.

"Trump isn't building any of these properties, but licensing his name to them. In other words, he gets paid regardless of whether they succeed or fail - or if they're even built," CREW noted.

Oil and gas trades

In early August, Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee reported that in 2026 so far, Trump's wealth increased by "as much as $15.5 million" through stocks owned in oil and gas companies at the end of 2025, with the group claiming the companies' profits and stock values are rising as a result of oil and gas prices rising amid the war in Iran.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle told CBS News: "President Trump's stock and bond portfolio is independently managed by third-party financial institutions."

What has Trump said about his $2.2 billion revenue?

When asked about it by a reporter in July, the US president claimed he was profiting "because the stock market's going up".

"So we're all profiting. I'm profiting because I have a lot of money and a lot of cash, and I give it to institutions," he said.

However, an analysis by The New York Times notes the majority of the money disclosed in June "does not come from growth in the stock market".

When contacted by Indy100, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said: “President Trump’s stock and bond portfolio is independently managed by third-party financial institutions. All holdings are maintained in discretionary accounts and invested through computer-based model portfolios that automatically replicate recognized indexes, such as the Schwab 1000.

"Neither President Trump nor any member of his family has any ability to direct, influence, or provide input regarding how the portfolio is invested or when investments are bought or sold. All investment decisions are made entirely by independent managers. There are no conflicts of interest.”

Why not read...?

• Trump is reportedly in 'legacy mode' - no one's surprised
• The 52 most stupid things Donald Trump has ever said

Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter

How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel

Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.