Alarm bells over conflict of interest as filing shows Trump raked in $2bn in 2025 | First Thing

Good morning. Donald Trump has raked in more than $1bn from his crypto businesses since returning to the White House, according to financial disclosures, making him substantially richer and ringing alarm bells over a conflict of interest. According to a 927-page document released on Tuesday by the US Office of Government Ethics, Trump made more than $2.2bn in all last year, benefiting from a vast network of businesses and investments across the world, including in China. Anna Kelly, a White House spokesperson, denied there was any conflict of interest, saying any suggestion of that was “the same, tired, false narrative that Democrats and the legacy media have been pushing for a decade”. Where else is Trump getting money from? The US president made millions last year from selling Trump-branded bibles, sneakers and other small items in another unprecedented move for the presidency. In the Trump-branded watches category alone, the president earned $4.7m. Trump also racked up tens of millions from fees and licensing deals in a flurry of new hotel, resort and condo deals overseas. Many of those countries were at the same time negotiating with the US over tariffs, military aid and other important matters. US supreme court upholds birthright citizenship in blow to Trump agenda The court rejected Donald Trump’s executive order that attempted to abolish birthright citizenship. …