Make America Grift Again — How Much Money Is Donald Trump Making off the Presidency?

Before he was President Trump, Donald Trump was known to the world as the guy with the golden life. The guy who always makes the deals. The guy who always gets his way. The guy who never lets an opportunity to succeed in business pass him by.

So when he agreed to forego his presidential salary, it seemed like a thoughtful and generous gesture from someone who was showing his dedication to the office of President.

However, foregoing his presidential salary doesn't mean that Trump isn't profiting from the presidency. In fact, the actual amount of money he has earned while in office is a staggeringly high number. So exactly how much money is he making from the presidency? Here's what one expert had to say on the topic, and the number is much higher than you probably think.

Trump's brand is everywhere. From "Make America Great Again" hats to gold coins, cryptocurrency, flags, perfume and more, the Trump brand has become omnipresent during the upward trajectory of his controversial second term in office. Trump is even selling "Trump 2028" merchandise, which many consider to be flying in the face of the Constitution and political norms.

But his earnings go beyond merch.

Journalist David Kirkpatrick of The New Yorker wrote an investigative piece about the money Trump has earned from behind the President's desk. In an interview with NPR, he revisited the topic, explaining that many sources account for Trump's earnings, including investments into his family business from foreign leaders and businessmen, merchandise, and more.

According to David, Trump has raked in a whopping $3.4 billion. Yes, with a "b."

David points out that, despite the staggering sum, Trump isn't doing what authoritarian leaders are in some other countries, such as Vladimir Putin, and hiding or embezzling his money. He's doing it all in plain sight. But, David adds, "the thing that really struck me is just the speed, the eagerness, the almost desperate zeal to make money. And that can't help but make you think a payment to the Trumps is more likely to win favor or gratitude. So it does make suspicions about a potential quid pro quo all the more pressing."

Many people have cried dirty, suggesting that Trump is running afoul of something called the Emoluments Clause in his zest to make money at a jaw-dropping clip. However, David points out that there doesn't appear to be any laws expressly forbidding Trump from making money off, say, meme coins, or merchandise.

And as for other sources of profit, Trump has seemingly been very meticulous about giving the appearance of divesting from conflicts of interest, although critics are not convinced that it's enough.

According to the Emoluments Clause in the US Constitution, "No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State" (via Britannica).

The Constitution also clarifies that the President cannot accept "emoluments," which means compensation, profit, or a gift, from any federal entity or state entity. Beyond his salary as President, of course.

So where do things like the luxury jet gifted "unconditionally" to Trump by Qatari officials (via USA Today) fit? Trump has, again, meticulously ensured that the jet will be gifted to his "Presidential library" in perpetuity, after he leaves office, thus avoiding the appearance of violating the Emoluments Clause.

Yet Trump has faced several lawsuits and allegations of violating the Emoluments Clause. Those cases have been dismissed over time as they were considered in court in 2021, with one judge writing that it was no longer a concern because Trump was out of office at the time, according to CNN.

It remains to be seen whether or not new lawsuits will be brought against the President in his second term.

Concerns that he is using the office of President to enrich his own pockets is not a new allegation. With the jaw-dropping number put to those efforts at $3.4 billion, it seems likely that Trump's presidency will be a future study in how a businessman conducts himself while placed in the highest seat in the land. Whether or not that study will find him culpable for unlawful behavior is anyone's guess. It is expected that a president will avoid using the office for personal gain, yet there's a lot of wiggle room amongst the "expected."

Considering the fact that former President Jimmy Carter once divested himself of a peanut farm by placing it in a blind trust (via USA Today) to avoid the mere appearance of conflict of interest, Trump's wanton profiting from the Oval Office will likely be judged harshly. He has divested himself from his family business (per BBC), but it's clear that his mere fame and influence as President is enriching him more and more with each passing day.