Bernie Sanders: Crypto projects like WLFI have contributed more than $3 billion to the Trump family

U.S. Independent Senator Bernie Sanders posted on the X platform on April 24, citing a report published in the January issue of The New Yorker. He listed a breakdown of earnings that the Trump family allegedly obtained through cryptocurrency, Gulf transactions, and other sources, estimating the total at $4.05 billion.

Sanders’ Public Allegations and Earnings Breakdown

According to Sanders’ public post on X published on April 24, 2026, in which he cited the The New Yorker report, the estimated earnings for the various Trump family revenue streams listed in the report are as follows:

Cryptocurrency-related businesses: $3.02 billion

Gulf transactions: $425.8 million

Qatar jets: $150 million

Legal fees and related merchandise: $127.7 million

Mar-a-Lago events: $125 million

Corporate transactions: $91 million

Hanoi hotel: $40 million

Truth Social: $25 million

Donald Trump Jr.: $19.6 million

In his post, Sanders described the above circumstances as “an unprecedented reign of thieves.” All of the figures come from The New Yorker report, and neither Sanders himself nor the White House has provided independent verification.

Specific Disclosure Basis for WLFI and the Crypto Projects

According to The New Yorker report (cited by Sanders in his post), the Trump family’s cryptocurrency earnings estimate increased from $2.36 billion as of August 2025 to $8B as of January 2026, an increase of approximately $646 million. Of that amount, 86% came from the World Liberty Financial (WLFI) project, which lists one of Trump’s sons as a co-founder.

Based on the documents publicly disclosed by World Liberty Financial itself, 75% of the proceeds from WLFI token sales flow directly to Trump-affiliated entities.

The New Yorker report also noted that the Trump family’s crypto business projects further include American Bitcoin Corp. (NASDAQ: ABTC), the official Trump meme coin (CRYPTO: TRUMP), and the official Melania meme coin (CRYPTO: MELANIA).

Relevant Critical Positions of Members of Congress Such as Warren

According to a report by Benzinga, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts had previously publicly criticized the Trump family’s cryptocurrency businesses, calling them “the autobahn of crypto corruption,” and last year in writing urged Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to launch a federal investigation into activities involving Trump and cryptocurrency. As of the time this report was published, the Treasury Department had not disclosed any information regarding whether it had initiated an investigation in response to that request.

According to Benzinga Pro data, as of April 24, 2026, the WLFI token was trading at $0.07739, up 0.87% over the past 24 hours; the TRUMP meme coin was at $2.84, up 0.19%; and ABTC’s stock price fell 5.97% to $1.26 during Thursday’s regular trading session, before-hours trading rebounded 1.59%.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the source of the data behind Sanders’ allegations, and are they verified facts?

According to Sanders’ public post on X published on April 24, 2026, the relevant figures are cited from The New Yorker’s January 2026 report and are media-estimated data. As of the time Benzinga issued this release, the White House had not responded regarding the figures, and the above data had not been verified by any official government source.

What is the source of the data showing that 75% of World Liberty Financial (WLFI) token sales flows to Trump-affiliated entities?

According to the documents publicly disclosed by World Liberty Financial itself, 75% of the proceeds from WLFI token sales flow directly to Trump-affiliated entities. This disclosure data is cited in The New Yorker report and was relayed in Sanders’ post.

What were the results of Warren’s request for an investigation into the Trump family’s crypto business?

According to a report by Benzinga, Warren had last year already written to urge Treasury Secretary Bessent to launch a federal investigation. As of the time this report was published, the Treasury Department had not disclosed any information regarding whether it would initiate a formal investigation in response to that request.