It should be no surprise the president made $1 billion on cryptocurrency deals that handed losses to so many who invested
The Trump family at the Republican convention in 2024.
I must be the only person who isn't shocked by the news that the Trump family is cashing in on the presidency, to the tune of $2 billion in the first year alone, some $1 billion of which came from cryptocurrency ventures that tanked.
What did anyone expect?
People have lost their shirt buttons betting on the Trump family's stock and cryptocurrency rackets, all of which have collapsed in price by between 80% and 99%.
What was it about Donald Trump's financial record - and his personal record - that made you think you were onto a winner?
Here at MarketWatch, we warned you time and time and time again, backing those warnings up with facts.
Personally, I applaud the president and his family, at least for their chutzpah. It's not like they hid anything. They came right out with it. Like the Pardoner in Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales," or famed American showman P.T. Barnum, they were up front about it all.
It was Barnum who said not only that a sucker was born every minute, but that you should "never give a sucker an even break." To him it was a sin not to shear the sheep. And here we are.
In 2016, I joked that everyone who voted for Trump should be required to lend him money. Apparently, many did.
The American people knew exactly what they were voting for when they elected Trump to a second term as president nearly two years ago. He got 77 million votes, almost exactly half of all votes cast and 4 million more than his Democratic opponent, Kamala Harris.
Legendary American journalist H.L. Mencken said that "democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."
Well, the American people are getting what they voted for, good and hard. If this isn't what they wanted, why did they vote for it?
Trumpsters claim that anyone who criticizes the president has "Trump Derangement Syndrome."
That term would now better apply to those complaining about all the money they lost on Trump's World Liberty Financial crypto coin $WLFI (down 81%), Trump Media & Technology shares (DJT) (down 87% from their peak), the $TRUMP coin (down 97%) and the $MELANIA coin (down 99%).
Why are you complaining? Why, oh why, do you have Trump Derangement Syndrome?
I remember when Rick Santelli launched the Tea Party on CNBC by calling the people who lost money on their homes during the financial crisis "losers." The Tea Party was the forerunner of MAGA.
So many people appear to be shocked by the scale of the Trump family's profits from their private cryptocurrency ventures, revealed in the president's latest personal financial disclosure. Even the conservative editorial board at the Wall Street Journal seems aghast. Its summary of the situation is excellent. (The Wall Street Journal and MarketWatch share a publisher, Dow Jones.)
If the reports about all this chicanery upset you, I suggest you switch over to a news channel or website that will spare your feelings. Those that are most supportive of the president are making little, if any, reference to the matter.
Meanwhile, if you lost money on various Trump coins or related ventures and are wondering how to rebuild your finances, I have some great news. The Trump Organization is hiring! According to the jobs website Indeed, there are more than 30 positions available, including for a painter at the Mar-A-Lago club and "southern White House" in Florida and a dishwasher at the Trump National golf club in Bedminster, N.J. Good luck!
-Brett Arends
This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 02, 2026 11:52 ET (15:52 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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