President Donald Trump defended his family’s involvement with World Liberty Financial on Sunday, saying U.S. presidents have long had private financial interests.
Trump Says He Can’t Stop His Sons From Doing Business
During the ”60 Minutes” interview, Trump was pressed about the cryptocurrency platform of which he is a co-owner and the fact that a top UAE royal bought a 49% stake in the company.
“My sons run the company. It’s hard to tell them, ‘Don’t do anything anymore for four years because I’m president,’” he replied.
Trump said Wall Street firms manage the bulk of his wealth, largely through index funds and that he takes no personal part in investment decisions.
‘This Is True for Every President’
When asked why he would not divest his assets to avoid conflict-of-interest allegations, Trump argued that every U.S. president has had this “problem.”
“You have people and they work for you,” he said, adding, “And guys like you cover them and you do profiles on them and they become like everybody thinks that Trump loves them and everything else, which in some cases is true and in some cases is not. This is true for every president.”
Trump argued that owning assets is not unusual, noting that earlier presidents held holdings like oil, just as he has a business interest in cryptocurrency-related investments.
Trump to Face Greater Scrutiny in 2027?
World Liberty Financial lists Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff as co-founders emeritus and is run by members of the Trump and Witkoff families, including Eric Trump.
Trump’s 2025 financial disclosure showed more than $1.4 billion in income from cryptocurrency ventures, including more than $520 million from World Liberty Financial token sales.
Most of Trump’s new wealth came from new sources during the presidency, including deals linked to World Liberty Financial and its associated stablecoin, USD1, Official Trump (CRYPTO: TRUMP) memecoin and licensing deals.
In contrast, other U.S. presidents did not earn any income from deals made after taking office.
That said, broader scrutiny of cryptocurrency could increase in 2027, with Sen. Elizabeth Warren reportedly positioned to chair the Senate Banking Committee and investigate the cryptocurrency industry and its ties to those in Trump’s orbit.
Price Action: As of this writing, WLFI is down 0.40% in the last 24 hours to $0.04592, according to Benzinga Pro.
Image via Shuttestock
