Former ethics lawyer says Trump's crypto poses 'clear conflict of interest'
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- Donald Trump and his family earned more than $1 billion last year through cryptocurrency ventures and other businesses, according to a 927-page financial disclosure filed with the Office of Government Ethics.
- World Liberty Financial, co-founded by Trump family members, generated more than $500 million of those earnings, while Trump-branded meme coin sales generated more than $600 million.
- The disclosure also lists more than $50 million from media settlements and millions more from Trump-branded products including Bibles, sneakers, and watches.
- White House spokesperson Anna Kelly denied any financial conflicts of interest, praising Trump for making the U.S. "the crypto capital of the world," while Trump said outside institutions manage his investments and that he does not speak with them.
- Richard Painter, former White House ethics lawyer, told NPR's Morning Edition that federal conflict-of-interest laws would prohibit other executive branch officials from taking similar actions, adding that Trump "stands alone in having such substantial financial conflicts of interest" as president.
Why it matters: Painter's claim that federal conflict-of-interest laws would bar any other executive branch official from Trump's crypto arrangement underscores how the more than $1 billion in disclosed earnings diverges from traditional blind-trust norms — and the White House's flat denial signals no restructuring of his business interests is planned, leaving the precedent intact for future presidents.
