Donald Trump defends his $3 billion net worth jump since his return to office. Then he tells the reporter: ‘You should’ve had stock’

CBS aired an interview with President Donald Trump on its 60 Minutes program on Sunday. Correspondent Ross Douthat, a conservative Catholic writer who had worked as a commentator at the New York Times, raised the topic of Trump’s finances. Douthat pointed to a roughly $3 billion increase in Trump’s net worth since he returned to office in 2024. Forbes places Trump’s current net worth at about $7 billion.

Trump responded by trying to steer the discussion away from the numbers. He told Douthat, “I devote almost no time to my net worth, I don’t care, I have a lot of money, far more than I’ve ever thought I’d have.” He continued, “I guess it’s gone up, I don’t even know.” Trump credited his son Eric with managing the family’s business interests.

Eric Trump, along with his older brother Donald Jr., has overseen the Trump Organization as well as the family’s cryptocurrency projects and overseas investments. Trump indicated that these activities handled by his sons explained the rise in wealth.

Forbes senior editor lays out timeline of reported business gains

Dan Alexander, a senior editor at Forbes and author of the book White House, Inc: How Donald Trump Turned The Presidency Into a Business, reviewed Trump’s statements in a 29-post thread on X. 

Alexander wrote that in March 2024 the president took the Trump Media and Technology Group, the company behind Truth Social, public. He said Trump fans went nuts. According to Alexander, that step increased Trump’s net worth by $1.88 billion between March and the fall of 2024 and made him the first US politician to make $1 billion on politics.

Before the election, the Trump family started World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency company. The venture drew hundreds of millions of dollars from venture capitalists and from royals in Abu Dhabi, including Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Trump received a portion. Reports from CNN stated that an investment firm connected to the United Arab Emirates bought a $500 million stake in Trump’s crypto company.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told CNN at the time, “President Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public – which is why they overwhelmingly re-elected him to this office, despite years of lies and false accusations against him and his businesses from the fake news media. President Trump’s assets are in a trust managed by his children. There are no conflicts of interest.”

Alexander stated that the dealmaking produced “staggering amounts of cash by the end of 2025.” He cited “$1,425,000,000 of liquidity from those two ventures in one year.” He identified the cryptocurrency projects as the main factors behind the net-worth increases.

Trump or his family also received more than $107 million a year in licensing income in 2024 and 2025, according to estimates Alexander referenced.

That income came from placing Trump’s name and likeness on overseas real-estate projects, with much of the activity in the Middle East. The Trump brand has also been tied to financial products, including a Trump Platinum Card that Howard Lutnick linked to a $5,000 dividend. Alexander said these elements together accounted for the $3 billion rise.