Trump filing shows he took in about $1.2 billion from crypto businesses last year

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NEW YORK (AP) — President Donald Trump took in nearly $1.2 billion dollars from his crypto businesses last year, a federal filing released Monday shows, locking in profits while his investors were socked with losses.

Mere startups when took the oath of office, the new ventures have now eclipsed in revenue much of his vast property portfolio that took decades to accumulate. Fueling their rise was a pair of billionaire investors and Trump’s own move to quash a federal crackdown on the industry.

Trump got more than $500 million from his World Liberty Financial business selling new crypto products, including “governance tokens,” according to the required annual disclosure report with the Office of Government Ethics. It also showed another crypto business, CIC Digital LLC, took in more than $600 million from sales of souvenir-type “meme” coins stamped with his face.

Both the tokens and the coins have plunged in value since the sales.

Trump also took in millions last year from selling Trump-branded bibles, sneakers and other small items in another unprecedented move for the presidency. For Trump branded watches alone he took in $4.7 million.

The rise of crypto relative to Trump’s property is especially noteworthy given that Trump took in tens in millions in additional fees last year from a flurry of new hotel, resort and condo deals overseas that amounts to the biggest property expansion ever in the century since it was founded. Many of those countries were negotiating with the U.S. over tariffs, military aid, and other important matters.

A property in the United Arab Emirates took in $10.4 million. One in Saudi Arabia being built by a real estate developer close to the ruling family sent the president’s company $9 million. And one in Bucharest, Romania, and another in Qatar sent him $5 million each.