Trump 'laughing all the way to the bank' as he takes grift 'to a new level'

President Donald Trump's net worth, according to Forbes, has fluctuated over the years. And estimates of his net worth in 2025 —the year he returned to the White House after a four-year absence — vary.

The group State Democracy Defenders Action, in a report released on April 23, estimated that Trump's digital currency holdings had reached approximately $2.9 billion — which would be around 40 percent of his net worth, according to the group. But digital currency is only one of the many ways in which Trump has increased his net worth during his second presidency.

Trump's assets include everything from Trump-branded gym shoes to a social media outlet (Truth Social, which is part of the publicly traded Trump Media & Technology Group) to a "Trump Bible" to the new Trump Mobile. And the Trump Organization still has plenty of real estate holdings all around the world.

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In an article published on June 21, The Guardian's Edward Elmore stresses that no one in U.S. history has monetized his presidency more than Trump.

"In his second term," Elmore observes, "Trump has been thinking big about making money. Since his reelection campaign began, Trump is estimated to have more than doubled his net worth to $5.4bn. A sizeable chunk of that cash has come from the launch of Trump-branded products."

Elmore continues, "This week. the Trump Organization entered the mobile phone business with a Trump-branded service that will include a 'sleek gold' phone, which costs $499, that is 'made in America.' Maybe?.... The blurred lines between business and politics, impacting how candidates are portrayed, policies are shaped and voters engage with the political process — commonly referred to as the commercialization of politics — may not be Trump's to own exclusively, but he's taken it to a new level."

Public relations specialist Mark Borkowski finds Trump's monetizing of the presidency "troubling."

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Borkowski told The Guardian, "There was a lot of dialog when Trump returned to power that we would see in this term a particularly interesting residency in the White House about how much money would be made and this is a typical Trump side-hustle playing off MAGA patriotism…. It is troubling, and more than in jest, that this is now a political economy and he's actually saying this presidency is a brand-franchise. There is no separation between power and profit."

Borkowski continued, "He's redrawn the boundaries between commerce and the office of the president, and he's accelerated the notion of post-ethical politics…. It's a new hyperreality that exists in America. It's about turning political fandom into money, and he's laughing all the way to the bank."

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Read Edward Elmore's full article for The Guardian at this link.