Did Trump Earn $1.4 Billion from Cryptocurrency? Reuters Poll: Nearly 70% of Americans Believe Presidential Private Interests Are Influencing Government Decisions

A newly released Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that more than half of American citizens believe President Donald Trump and his family have inappropriately profited from cryptocurrency since returning to power, with their governance decisions significantly swayed by private business dealings—raising widespread public concern.

This four-day large-scale survey also found that even within Trump’s own Republican Party, around half of respondents believe the president allows personal business interests to influence official decisions—a shocking result for a leader who once vowed to “drain the swamp” of Washington corruption.

Born into a New York real estate dynasty, Trump built his name into a global brand long before entering politics. According to international media reports, through family-controlled cryptocurrency ventures, he earned over $1.4 billion (approximately NT$44.68 billion) in 2025 alone. This includes the high-profile World Liberty Financial and the Trump-themed meme coin ($Trump), which he publicly endorsed.

In March 2025, just two months into his second term, Trump aggressively promoted his namesake cryptocurrency on social media, calling it “the greatest currency of all time,” and offered face-to-face meetings with himself as investor rewards—drawing in a wave of buyers.

On May 22, 2025, protesters demonstrated outside Trump National Golf Club, angered by what they see as corrupt quid-pro-quo arrangements. The top 220 holders of the Trump coin paid over $394 million collectively for the chance to dine with him. (AP)

Republican voters are divided on conflict-of-interest concerns. Survey data indicates that about 63% of all respondents deemed this profit-making method inappropriate, while 32% considered it acceptable. Among Republican-leaning respondents, roughly 30% viewed it as inappropriate and 70% as appropriate.

With midterm elections looming in November—set to determine control of Congress for the next two years—Democrats have repeatedly accused the Trump administration of corruption. In response, the White House has threatened to launch corruption investigations into states governed by Democrats. Trump insists he has not participated in the day-to-day operations of his family businesses since returning to office, claiming all investment decisions are made independently. However, after promoting crypto-friendly policies during his campaign—which successfully attracted massive capital and social media attention—he has indeed advanced pro-cryptocurrency financial regulations during his second term.

The White House has flatly denied all allegations, emphasizing that Trump’s investments are managed independently by third-party financial institutions. Spokesperson Anna Kelly stated, “There is no conflict of interest whatsoever. Every action the president takes is solely in the best interest of the American public.”

Yet presidential ethics experts warn that the current intertwining of political power and private business is unprecedented. Richard Painter, who served as chief ethics lawyer under former Republican President George W. Bush, said bluntly, “We’ve never seen anything like this before. Even during Trump’s first term, there were not this many complex business entanglements.”

The poll also revealed that 69% of Americans—including two-thirds of independents and 90% of Democrats—believe Trump’s private business interests are currently influencing his presidential decision-making. On the issue of corruption, public opinion is split: Democrats overwhelmingly believe corruption under Trump is worse than under previous administrations, while Republicans are divided—56% think it has slightly improved, the rest say it’s unchanged or worsened.

Thomas Schmidt, a voter from Wisconsin, said he voted for Trump in 2024 but now feels disillusioned. He expressed concern primarily about Trump’s failure to control inflation and extract the U.S. from the Iran war quagmire. Regarding the Trump family’s profits, he believes the president should focus on duty rather than business dealings—but admitted, “To be honest, it seems like every U.S. president has done something similar.”

Public perception of Trump’s personal profiteering could deal a heavy blow to the Republican Party in the November midterms. When asked which party is more corrupt, 41% pointed to Democrats, 49% to Republicans.