Americans disgusted at Trump earning $1bn from crypto as president: ‘Obviously a grift’

Summary

Hundreds of Guardian readers expressed concerns over greed in the White House and a billionaire president unconcerned with high gas and grocery prices Donald Trump has earned more than $1bn from his crypto businesses since returning to the White House, according to recent financial disclosures. Amid questions of conflict of interest, more than 400 Americans expressed feelings of outrage, disgust and despair at their president. They answered a Guardian call for their views on Trump’s fortune . According to a 927-page document released on Tuesday by the US Office of Government Ethics, in all, the US president made more than $2.2bn last year. He benefited from a vast global network of investments and businesses that range from real estate and golf courses to royalty deals and Trump-branded products such as cologne. He also took tens of millions of dollars in court settlements. In his second term, the president and his family have invested heavily in digital money and crypto businesses, with Trump announcing at the start of last year that he wanted the US to be the “crypto capital of the world”. He has received about $1.1bn from his World Liberty Financial and CIC Digital LLC businesses, which sell “governance tokens” and souvenir-type “memecoins” stamped with his face. Congress should act to male it illegal,” he said. Jay Deshpande, a 22-year-old Indian-American man, felt dispirited as a student looking for work when he learned that Trump had made more than two billion dollars. “His earnings are ridiculously high, and speaks to the level of corruption and greed that defines Trump’s presidency.