Trump family gains $5 billion from cryptocurrency while setting federal policy

President Trump and his family earned approximately $5 billion on paper from World Liberty Financial cryptocurrency launch on September 1, 2025. This creates unprecedented conflicts where Trump's presidential decisions on SEC regulations and Treasury policy directly affect family wealth. The WLFI token traded as high as 40 cents before falling 48% amid market volatility. Trump was listed as "Co-Founder Emeritus" but removed upon taking office.

Trump's crypto holdings create direct conflicts with his regulatory authority over digital assets. The SEC under Trump appointee PAPaul Atkins will determine cryptocurrency regulations that affect WLFI's value. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent shapes tax policy for digital assets while Trump's family profits from the same market. Every regulatory decision becomes a potential windfall or loss for the Trump family business empire.

The World Liberty Financial project launched with ETEric Trump and Don Jr. as primary promoters while Donald Trump maintained distance during the campaign. Upon taking office, Trump formally removed his name from marketing materials but retained financial interests through family trusts and partnerships. The token's volatile performance reflects market uncertainty about regulatory favoritism and government conflicts of interest.

Constitutional law experts argue this violates the spirit if not the letter of emoluments restrictions. While domestic business ventures aren't explicitly covered by foreign emoluments clauses, the scale of potential profit from presidential policy creates unprecedented corruption risks. Trump family wealth fluctuates based on regulatory decisions made by Trump appointees across multiple federal agencies.

The cryptocurrency market cap exceeds $2 trillion, making presidential policy decisions worth billions to digital asset holders. Trump's campaign promises to make America the "crypto capital of the world" take on new meaning when his family profits directly from favorable regulations. Other presidents placed assets in blind trusts to avoid exactly these conflicts between personal enrichment and public policy.