President Donald Trump and his family made nearly $3 billion during his second term, most of it through cryptocurrency ventures, according to researchers cited by NPR. The reported earnings have raised alarms among transparency advocates, who are urging a future Democrat-run Congress to examine the family's crypto income and foreign investments.

Ragland said he thought the combined income of past presidents while in office probably would not come close to that figure. Modern presidents have traditionally managed potential conflicts of interest by divesting assets or placing holdings in blind trusts, arrangements intended to keep investment decisions out of their own knowledge. The report describes two main ventures: a memecoin Trump launched days before his inauguration, and World Liberty Financial, a company just over two years old.

Why Crypto Profits Raise Alarms

Trump made more than $600 million from the memecoin, according to his own disclosures, NPR reported. Federal financial disclosure filings report asset values and income in broad ranges rather than precise totals. A memecoin is a cryptocurrency usually based on memes or internet jokes. Last year, Trump held a dinner for the coin's top holders to drum up demand, and many of the guests were foreign. Token purchases on public blockchains are made through digital wallets that do not carry names, which can make it difficult to identify the ultimate buyers behind large holdings.

Ragland said foreign investors, and in some instances foreign countries, may seek influence or leverage through investments. The White House denied that it was peddling influence. His concern is a call for scrutiny, not a finding that an investor secured a particular government decision.

Researchers told NPR that World Liberty Financial had earned Trump and his family $1.4 billion. Virginia Canter of the anti-corruption group Democracy Defenders Fund questioned how many people in the country had made that much in a business they had just entered. She pointed to an investment by Sheikh Tahnoon, a member of the United Arab Emirates royal family.

Tahnoon invested half a billion dollars into World Liberty, NPR reported, citing The Wall Street Journal. NPR described the investment as an extraordinary show of confidence in a new company that had struggled to gain acceptance. Months later, the UAE received a shipment of advanced AI chips from the United States, a category of exports that is subject to U.S. government controls. The UAE had lobbied for the chips as it pursued its ambition to become an AI power.

Canter said Congress had strong grounds under the Constitution to investigate what was involved and what motivated the initial investment. The Trump administration denied any quid pro quo, and World Liberty Financial declined NPR's request for comment. NPR also reported additional deals involving Tahnoon and a deal between a World Liberty-affiliated company and Pakistan's government.

The dispute centers on the reported crypto profits and foreign investments, alongside denials from the White House and the Trump administration. BlockTelegraph has separately covered a court dispute involving World Liberty. Its reporting on a former startup CFO's sentencing and a crypto investment scheme describes separate cases.

In an interview with CBS' “60 Minutes,” Trump said he devoted almost no time to his net worth, did not care about it, and had more money than he expected. He also said he guessed it had gone up.

Shortly after the election, Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, posted “lawyer up” on social media, NPR reported. Researchers want Congress to investigate the investment and its motivation. Whether such an investigation materializes depends on which party controls the chamber after coming elections. Garcia's “lawyer up” post is the latest action identified in NPR's account; the report does not say an investigation has begun.

NPR reported the figures and the responses from Trump, his administration and World Liberty Financial.