TRUMP'S MONEY
Trump has, however, defended himself against suggestions that he had benefited financially from his presidency, saying he was not involved in managing his personal finances.
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"I've made a lot of money BEFORE I became president. They invest my money," Trump said. Speaking to reporters earlier this month, he added that he had "nothing to do" with his investments because they were managed by funds.
His remarks came a day after annual financial disclosures filed with the US Office of Government Ethics showed his companies received nearly $800 million from World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency venture co-founded with his sons. The disclosure showed more than $520 million came from crypto token sales and over $250 million from the sale of interests in the business.
Trump also linked his financial gains to the broader performance of financial markets.
"You know why I'm profiting? Because the stock market's going up, everybody's profiting," he said.
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UNUSUAL TRADING ACTIVITY
The issue has drawn additional attention following reports of unusual trading ahead of key announcements on Iran. According to media reports, on March 22 nearly 6,200 oil futures contracts worth about $580 million changed hands within a single minute, significantly above recent average trading volumes. About 15 minutes later, Trump posted on Truth Social that the United States was holding "productive conversations" with Iran, after which oil prices fell and stock futures rose.
Economist Paul Krugman said the trading was unusual because there were no major publicly available news events at the time and suggested the most straightforward explanation was that someone close to Trump knew in advance about the forthcoming announcement. He also argued that if people with access to confidential national security information exploited it for financial gain, it could raise broader national security concerns.
CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger questioned whether it was fair for investors with access to information unavailable to the public to profit from such developments.
Separate reports also alleged unusual activity on prediction market platforms before major US actions involving Iran and Venezuela.
VANCE BACKS KUSHNER, WITKOFF
Vice President JD Vance rejected media reports alleging that senior White House advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff sought to profit from their roles in US-Iran negotiations.
Calling the report "completely bogus," Vance said he never received the alleged private message from Iran. He described Kushner and Witkoff as "trusted members of the president's team" and "very dear friends," adding that "the idea they're trading on insider information is absurd."
The White House is also dealing with a separate investigation involving Trump's longtime teleprompter operator, Gabriel Perez. Perez is under investigation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) over potential insider trading on prediction market platform Kalshi after the platform referred suspicious trading activity to regulators.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump was aware of the matter, described the allegations as "deeply unfortunate," and confirmed Perez had been placed on unpaid administrative leave and would no longer work at the White House.