President Donald Trump defended his financial holdings Thursday, insisting that he has no direct role in managing his investments while serving in office and saying his sons oversee his business interests. Responding to questions about the billions of dollars disclosed in his latest financial report—including more than $1 billion in cryptocurrency holdings—Trump said he was unaware of the investments and rejected suggestions that they posed a conflict of interest.

Speaking during a CNBC interview from the Oval Office, Trump emphasized that building wealth has long been part of his professional career.

“I’ve always made money,” he said. “I’m a business person. I’m a really good business person. I made money. I made a tremendous amount of money.”

Trump said his personal investments are managed by others and that he is not involved in the day-to-day decisions.

“I let people invest it. I don’t even speak to – I don’t even know who they are,” he said. “My son Eric handles it. I don’t talk to him about things such as this.”

He explained that his assets are placed with major investment firms that manage them through what he described as “semi-blind trusts or blind trusts.” Although he did not identify the firms involved, Trump suggested that part of the increase in his wealth was attributable to the strong performance of the stock market.

His comments came after his latest financial disclosure revealed approximately $1.2 billion in income tied to various cryptocurrency investments over the past year. During the interview, Trump maintained that he was unaware of those specific holdings.

He added that even if he had known about the investments, no law would have prohibited him from continuing to carry out his presidential duties, noting that presidents and vice presidents are not legally required to step aside from policy decisions that could affect their personal financial interests.

“I didn’t. There’s nothing illegal with that. I could know,” he said, pointing out there is no legal requirement “to recuse yourself on every decision running the country that could have anything to do with you. It just isn’t feasible to do it.”

Trump also reflected on the business career he built before entering public office, noting that his wealth was accumulated through decades in real estate, casinos, and television, including his long-running role on NBC’s The Apprentice.

He also noted that he does not accept the presidential salary.

“This is the Oval Office,” he added. “It’s a much bigger purpose than whether or not I make money. As an example, the president’s the highest paid person in government, and you know, by some standards it gets a lot of money. … I gave up my salary. I don’t get a salary.”

The salary for the president of the United States is $400,000 per year.

Trump noted that the Trump Organization had been operating long before he entered politics, with his children—Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump—playing significant roles in the business. Although Ivanka has since stepped away from the company, Trump argued that his family’s long-standing business activities make it impossible to completely separate them from public scrutiny.

“Almost anything my kids do — if they buy a truck — they have inside information,” he said, arguing that his children are being unfairly criticized simply for continuing their professional careers while he serves as president.

“I feel badly in a way for my kids,” he said, adding that “anything they do, because the presidency is so powerful … if they buy a cupcake company, well, the energy to make the cupcakes, is you know, sort of like, how’s my energy policy?”

“So it’s pretty tough in that sense. I tell my kids, ‘stay away,’” Trump said. “But they also have a life. You know, they were doing business long before I ever thought of … running for president.”

Asked specifically whether his cryptocurrency holdings created a conflict of interest, Trump dismissed the concern and instead framed digital assets as an area of strategic competition with China.

“The way I view crypto is a little differently. We have to be at the top, otherwise China is going to take it over,” he said.

Since returning to office, Trump has aggressively promoted cryptocurrency, calling for the United States to become the world’s “crypto capital.” His administration has pursued policies aimed at reducing regulatory barriers, establishing a national Bitcoin reserve, and encouraging the growth of a dollar-backed stablecoin market.

{Matzav.com}