Senator Bernie Sanders has publicly accused the Trump family of profiting $4 billion from the presidency, with more than $3 billion of that figure attributed to cryptocurrency ventures.
Bernie Sanders Says Trump Family Has Made $4 Billion Off the Presidency, With $3 Billion From Crypto
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Key Takeaways:
- Sanders posted on X that the Trump family earned $3.02B from crypto ventures as of April 24, 2026.
- World Liberty Financial and Trump-linked tokens are the primary crypto sources named in the claim.
- The allegation intensifies bipartisan scrutiny of the Trump family’s crypto-related financial interests.
The $4 Billion Claim
Sanders posted the full breakdown on X, listing the figures as: $3.02 billion from crypto, $425.8 million from Persian Gulf deals, $150 million from a Qatari jet, $127.7 million in legal fees and merchandise, $125 million from Mar-a-Lago, $91 million in corporate deals, $40 million from a Hanoi hotel, $25 million from Truth Social, and $19.6 million tied to Donald Trump Jr. Sanders called the aggregate an example of “unprecedented kleptocracy.”
His post marks the continuation of a sustained campaign to draw attention to the Trump family’s financial activities since the beginning of Trump’s second term. An earlier version of the charge, posted in 2025, cited $3 billion from crypto alongside settlements with media companies. The updated April 2026 figure of $3.02 billion reflects valuations that have risen alongside a broader crypto market rally.
The Crypto Breakdown
The bulk of the crypto figure is traced to World Liberty Financial, the Trump-backed decentralized finance ( DeFi) platform whose WLFI token launched in late 2024. The project has expanded rapidly, with its USD1 stablecoin growing 476.3% to a market capitalization of $4.186 billion, making it the sixth-largest stablecoin in the market. Trump family members hold significant allocations of the WLFI token, which has been the subject of sustained political scrutiny since its launch.
Beyond World Liberty Financial, Trump-affiliated meme tokens and other crypto ventures have also contributed to this mounting figure. A breakdown of Trump’s crypto holdings published ranked the performance of all four major Trump-linked digital asset projects, noting the outsized contribution of WLFI token gains. Trump Jr. has also publicly backed USD1’s expansion onto the Aptos blockchain, further extending the family’s footprint in the sector.
World Liberty Financial has previously faced serious allegations. A Washington D.C.-based watchdog group accused the platform of selling WLFI tokens to entities with connections to sanctioned countries, including North Korea and Iran. Those claims led U.S. senators to press for a Department of Justice and Treasury investigation into the platform’s dealings.
Political Pushback
The $4 billion claim has drawn pushback from Trump supporters, who argue that Sanders is conflating paper token valuations with actual cash received and that market-driven appreciation in crypto holdings is not equivalent to direct presidential profit. X’s AI assistant noted in a reply that the crypto figure “reflects market valuations from Trump-linked tokens and fundraising, not pocketed cash.”
Regardless of how the accounting is framed, the post has reignited calls in Congress for tighter disclosure requirements on presidential financial holdings in crypto. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Jack Reed had previously pressed the Department of Justice and Treasury for a formal probe into World Liberty Financial, citing potential national security and financial risk.
