How the Trump Family Turned Crypto Into an $800M Windfall

Take key

• Reuters estimates that Trump-linked companies have earned $802 million in crypto by early 2025.

• Income came from WLFI tokens, TRUMP coin and USD1 stablecoin returns.

• Alt5 Sigma’s deal and foreign buyers helped turn token value into cash.

• As the application of the US crypto has eased, experts have noticed possible problems of conflict.

In the first half of 2025, Trump-related companies booked about $802 million in crypto revenue, mainly from Token World Liberty Financial (WLFI). sales and the official Trump (TRUMP) memecoin, net income from golf, licensing and real estate.

Reuters investigative and methodological documents detail where the money came from and how it was counted. This guide explains the mechanics, buyers and policy context without the hype.

What is World Liberty Financial?

WLFI launched in late 2024 as a token-centric project linked to the Trump family. Its governance token, WLFI, offers limited rights of holders compared to traditional decentralized finance (DeFi) models of government. The company’s lawyer argues that the token has “real utility.”

The core monetization model is simple. An affiliate of the Trump Organization is entitled to 75% of token sale revenue after expenses, according to WLFI’s “Gold Paper.” Reuters used this document as the basis for its income model.

In the first half of 2025, Reuters estimates that the WLFI token sale was the largest contributor of money. They accounted for most of the family’s cryptography.

The Alt5 Sigma deal

In August 2025, WLFI scored a Nasdaq deal in which Alt5 Sigma raised hundreds of millions of dollars to buy WLFI tokens. The move provided a big catalyst for demand and converted some of the value on the paper into money realized for entities controlled by Trump.

A separate report in August outlined a broader plan for a $1.5 billion WLFI “treasury” strategy linked to Alt5. The plan aimed to keep a significant part of the token supply, details that help explain the scale of flows in WLFI.

How the TRUMP memecoin generated money

The TRUMP coin launched on January 17, 2025, and its creators earned part of the trading fees from Meteora, the exchange where it was traded before. In two weeks, onchain forensics companies cited by Reuters estimated between $86 million and $100 million in fees, mostly on Meteora.

In its analysis of the first half of 2025, the outlet modeled about $672 million in coin sales and, using a conservative 50% share assumption, allocated about $336 million to Trump-related interests. The methodology recognizes uncertainty because the ownership and fee split are not fully disclosed.

Who bought the tokens?

Most of the WLFI buyers are pseudonymous wallet addresses, but the investigation identified several high-profile participants and concentrated foreign demand. The investigation highlights WLFI’s $100 million purchase of the Aqua1 Foundation and reports that Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. participated in a global roadshow of investors promoting the token.

The magazine also notes that the main identifiable buyers include overseas investors. While the allocation remains probabilistic, foreign participation among large WLFI holders appears significant.

The USD1 stablecoin (and its interest stream)

WLFI also promotes USD1a stablecoin pegged to the dollar backed by cash reserves and the US Treasury, with custody managed by BitGo.

Reuters reports that the reserves that support the USD1 generate an estimated annual interest rate of $80 million at prevailing yields and notes that part of that interest goes to a company that owns 38% of the Trump Organization, although the actual amount realized for 2025 remains unspecified.

In May 2025, MGX supported by Abu Dhabi announced a $2 billion investment in Binance, which, according to reports and public statements from WLFI, was set to be settled with USD1. The deal is a prime example of how WLFI’s stablecoin is positioned to facilitate very large transactions.

How Reuters came up with “$802 million”

Because most of Trump’s business empire is private, Reuters combined presidential disclosures, property records, financials published in court and onchain trading data. He then applied explicit assumptions, such as the 75% share of WLFI’s revenue for the sale of WLFI tokens and a 50% share in TRUMP, which were reviewed by academics and certified public accountants.

The outlet’s conclusion was that almost $802 million of the Trump family’s income in the first half of 2025 will come from crypto ventures, compared to only $62 million from their traditional businesses.

do you know WLFI disputes parts of the Reuters analysis, arguing that its revenue model was oversimplified, wallet data misinterpreted and the project’s real utility overlooked.

The policy background (and the question of conflict)

Since January 2025, the stance of US law enforcement towards crypto has changed. The Department of Justice disbanded its National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team and narrowed his prioritiesWhile the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States has abandoned or paused several high-profile cases, including its motion to dismiss Coinbase and the termination of actions against other major companies.

Ethics experts said Reuters that a sitting president overseeing crypto policy while his family earns substantial crypto income presents a new conflict of interest, even if it’s not illegal.

The White House and company representatives have denied any wrongdoing.

The results and the wider context

In short, what appears to be an $800 million “gold rush” is, beneath the surface, a mix of brand-driven token sales, tax-rich memecoin mechanics, a high-velocity treasury deal, and a performance stablecoin.

Totals are drawn from documented splits and modeled flows. The controversy, however, centers on who the buyers were, how transparent the companies are, and how US policy has changed as the money has flowed.

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and business move involves risk, and readers should do their own research when making a decision.