Trump Says Scale of Presidency Creates Scrutiny for Children's Businesses, Though Federal Law Allows Retention of Assets

President Donald Trump said Thursday that the scale of the presidency makes conflicts of interest nearly unavoidable for his children's business decisions. Speaking to CNBC's Joe Kernen, Trump stated he feels badly for his kids because almost anything they do draws scrutiny tied to his office. "I don't do anything having to do with my business.

My kids run it," Trump said. He added that he has a lot of money, made a tremendous amount of it, and lets people invest it, while telling his children to stay away from potential controversies. The remarks followed release of Trump's latest financial disclosure report, which detailed $1.4 billion in 2025 income from cryptocurrency-related ventures and other businesses linked to the Trump family.

The filing included hundreds of millions of dollars connected to World Liberty Financial and related businesses. Newsweek reported that federal conflict-of-interest laws do not require presidents to divest personal assets. Trump said there was nothing illegal or improper about the family's activities.

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner served as senior White House advisers during Trump's first term but stepped away after he left office in 2021 and did not return for his second term. Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump have continued to lead the Trump Organization, overseeing real estate, branding and cryptocurrency projects.

Jared Kushner has remained active in international business and at times participated in foreign policy discussions.