Trump’s Passive Crypto Income Outpaces Traditional Royalties

Donald Trump, the former U.S. president, has effectively tapped into the world of passive crypto income, gaining significant financial benefits from two primary sources: secondary NFT sales and token taxes from unofficial meme coins.

The former president’s latest financial disclosures reveal $635 million in assets, including revenues from properties like Mar-a-Lago and various golf courses and millions in royalties. Most of these royalties come from NFT INT LLC, which paid $7.2 million in licensing fees for using Trump’s likeness in the Trump Digital Trading Card collections on Polygon.

Trump’s crypto strategy includes substantial holdings in U.S. Treasuries, index funds, stocks and 114.75 million shares in his media company, DJT, which are expected to become tradable in September. Trump’s cryptocurrency portfolio also includes between $1 million and $5 million in Ether and up to $250,000 in gold bars. Blockchain data indicates that Trump’s first three NFT collections generated approximately 1,237 ETH in their initial weeks, worth about $3.2 million at today’s prices.

The Trump Digital Trading Cards, which carry a 10% royalty fee on secondary sales, have also contributed an additional 782.32 ETH (around $2 million) to Trump’s wallet since January 2023. However, this revenue stream appears to be slowing down, with daily earnings from NFT trades often dropping below $10. In contrast, Trump’s Ethereum wallet has seen a steady influx of Ether from illegitimate meme coins like Save America and Trump Bucks, which pay a 2% auto-tax on every transfer. Over the past four months, these token contracts have contributed 137.3 ETH, equivalent to $354,000 at current prices.

Annualizing the combined income from NFT royalties and meme coin taxes suggests that Trump could be earning over 425 ETH annually, translating to more than $1 million at today’s prices. This passive income from crypto surpasses his earnings from traditional sources like The Apprentice royalties and his pension from the Screen Actors Guild, highlighting Trump’s successful venture into the digital asset space.