WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — In the first half of 2025, the Trump Organization’s income soared to $864 million, driven largely by cryptocurrency ventures tied to President Donald Trump’s sons. More than 90% of that money came from sales of digital tokens through a company called World Liberty Financial, according to a Reuters investigation.
Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. have spent the past year promoting the family’s new crypto business around the world. They traveled through Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, pitching investors on World Liberty and its digital currency, WLFI tokens.
In May, Eric Trump met Chinese businessman Guren “Bobby” Zhou in Dubai during a cryptocurrency conference. Zhou, who is under investigation in Britain for money laundering, was encouraged to buy at least $20 million in World Liberty’s governance tokens. Soon after, Zhou’s company, Aqua1 Foundation, announced a $100 million purchase of WLFI tokens — the single largest known investment in the venture.
Reuters found that foreign investors like Zhou played a major role in boosting the Trumps’ crypto income. Out of the $864 million the family earned in early 2025, $802 million came from crypto, including the sale of WLFI tokens and a meme coin called $TRUMP.
World Liberty Financial launched in September 2024 with bold promises of transforming the banking system through blockchain technology. Yet nearly a year later, the company has produced few tangible results. Its platform, still incomplete, offers token holders limited rights and uncertain benefits.
Despite these gaps, the Trumps’ crypto ventures have been wildly profitable. Sales of World Liberty tokens generated $463 million, while meme coin sales added $336 million, according to Reuters estimates. Experts say the profits stem more from the Trump brand than from any real technological value.
“Without the Trump name, you wouldn’t see World Liberty raising this kind of money,” said Seoyoung Kim, a finance professor at Santa Clara University.
Critics warn that the family’s global fundraising creates an unprecedented conflict of interest. As president, Trump oversees U.S. crypto policy, while his sons collect millions from foreign investors.
“These people aren’t investing because of the brothers’ business acumen,” said Kathleen Clark, a government ethics expert at Washington University. “They’re doing it because they want influence and access.”
The White House denies any wrongdoing. It says President Trump has no involvement in his businesses, which are managed through a trust. Still, as the trust’s beneficiary, Trump will have full access to the profits once he leaves office.
Among the most controversial deals is a $2 billion stablecoin transaction involving MGX, a state-controlled investment company in Abu Dhabi. MGX used World Liberty’s USD1 stablecoin to buy a major stake in Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange.
The deal links foreign government money to a business partly owned by the sitting U.S. president. Ethics experts say the arrangement could violate the U.S. Constitution’s Emoluments Clause, which bars presidents from accepting gifts or payments from foreign states.
Meanwhile, Binance’s founder, Changpeng Zhao, who had been convicted of violating anti–money laundering laws, received a presidential pardon earlier this month. The White House said the pardon aimed to restore America’s reputation as a leader in innovation.
The Trump brothers’ crypto campaign has spanned continents. In April, Donald Trump Jr. headlined a “Trump Business Vision 2025” event in Sofia, Bulgaria, hosted by Nexo, a Cayman Islands–based crypto firm previously fined by the SEC. Weeks later, Nexo sponsored a golf tournament at a Trump-owned course in Scotland.
In Dubai, Eric Trump appeared on stage at the TOKEN2049 conference, touting World Liberty’s future and announcing the MGX deal. His co-speaker, Justin Sun, a Hong Kong–based crypto billionaire charged with fraud by the SEC, is one of the largest WLFI investors.
Since launching World Liberty, the Trump family has made nearly $1 billion in cash and amassed crypto assets worth over $11 billion on paper, according to Reuters. Their holdings include large reserves of WLFI tokens, $TRUMP coins, and shares in Trump Media & Technology Group, which operates Truth Social and has expanded into cryptocurrency.
Despite the profits, the company’s core technology remains uncertain. Its main token has fallen from 46 cents to about 14 cents since trading began in September. Still, the Trumps show no sign of slowing down. “We are going to transform the financial world,” Eric Trump told a cheering crowd in Dubai. Whether that transformation benefits the public — or only the Trump family — remains the biggest question in American politics.
