"From Real Estate Tycoons to a Crypto Dynasty?"... Cryptocurrency Share Surpasses 20% in Trump Family Assets

Cryptocurrency Assets Exceed 2 Trillion Won
"Share of Real Estate Falls Below Half"
Bloomberg: "A Sea Change"

The asset structure of the family of former U.S. President Donald Trump, once known as a "real estate tycoon," is changing rapidly. While the proportion of real estate, which once accounted for most of their wealth, has declined, the share of cryptocurrency-related assets has, for the first time ever, surpassed 20%.

On January 20 (local time), Bloomberg reported that the Trump family’s total assets are estimated at approximately 7.2 billion dollars (about 10.6 trillion won) as of this month, with cryptocurrency assets exceeding 1.4 billion dollars (about 2 trillion won). This accounts for more than one-fifth of their total wealth.

The Trump family's cryptocurrency assets are centered around the cryptocurrency distribution platform "World Liberty Financial" (hereafter referred to as World Liberty), and include meme coins named after President Trump, as well as shares in the Bitcoin mining company "American Bitcoin."

World Liberty is estimated to have generated nearly 1 billion dollars (about 1.5 trillion won) in profits for the Trump family through the issuance of the stablecoin USD1 and the sale of cryptocurrencies. The company has recently applied for a banking license from U.S. authorities to expand its business operations.

The value of meme coin-related assets, including both trading proceeds and holdings, is estimated at around 280 million dollars, while the value of the Trump family's shares in American Bitcoin reportedly amounts to 114 million dollars.

This shift is particularly notable given that President Trump has long been recognized as a "real estate tycoon." As of November 2023, the Trump family’s assets were estimated at about 3.5 billion dollars, with approximately 79% consisting of real estate. However, over the past two years, the proportion of real estate assets is estimated to have fallen to below half.

Donald Trump’s children. Photo by Yonhap News

The Trump family's real estate assets are managed through the Trump Foundation, which is led by his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and his second son, Eric Trump. Although the foundation continues to pursue overseas projects such as the development of a golf resort in Qatar, the proportion of real estate within their total assets has noticeably declined.

The share of Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), the parent company of the social networking service "Truth Social," is also decreasing within their asset portfolio. Although the stock price surged immediately after going public due to purchases by individual investors, it has dropped by about 66% over the past 12 months due to ongoing losses. As a result, the value of the Trump family’s stake in the company fell from about 2 billion dollars in June last year to around 1.6 billion dollars as of January this year.

Since returning to the White House in January last year, President Trump has pursued policies with the goal of making the United States the "capital of the cryptocurrency industry." However, this process has also raised concerns about conflicts of interest. In particular, President Trump sparked controversy last October when he pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the founder of the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, who supported the World Liberty business.

Bloomberg noted that, as of 2023, the Trump family did not hold any cryptocurrency assets. The recent changes in asset structure, the report said, represent a "sea change" in how the Trump family will accumulate wealth in the future.