A claim circulated online in July 2026, asserting that U.S. President Donald Trump stated his children benefit from “inside information” when they invest in stocks or cryptocurrency. This claim gained traction on social media platforms like X, Reddit, and Facebook, often accompanied by a purported direct quote: “Every time my kids invest in a stock, they have inside information.” The circulation of this quote coincided with the release of Trump’s financial disclosure document for 2025, which revealed significant earnings from stock and crypto holdings by his family.
While the circulated quote is not verbatim and lacks crucial context, it is an approximation of a statement made by Trump during a televised interview with CNBC’s Joe Kernan on July 2nd. The financial disclosure highlighted “hundreds of millions of dollars from proceeds of crypto tokens and holdings of hundreds of individual company stocks.”
In the interview, Trump addressed Kernen’s question about his and his family’s involvement in cryptocurrency ventures. While denying direct knowledge of specific crypto investments, Trump asserted there was “nothing illegal” about possessing such knowledge. The core of the discussion revolved around potential conflicts of interest arising from the presidency.
Trump’s full response, as part of the interview, elaborated on this point: “Well I feel badly in a way for my kids, because every time my kids do, if they invest in a stock, or they go and do a bill, anything they do, because the presidency is so powerful, so big, everything, 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 therefore you have a conflict. Almost anything they do, if they want to buy a truck, if they want to buy, you know, if they buy an energy-efficient truck, they have inside information.”
Trump’s apparent argument was that the immense power and policy-making influence of the presidency inherently create a situation where his family could be perceived as having access to inside information, regardless of their actual intent.
It is important to note that neither Trump nor his children have been formally charged or convicted of insider trading. The question of whether they have actually utilized inside information for investment gains remains a separate matter from the president’s statement regarding the inherent conflicts of interest tied to his office.
Past allegations of insider trading or misuse of information have surfaced during the Trump administration, including claims about bets on oil prices and investments in drone technology companies just before military actions. A spokesperson for the White House dismissed these narratives as a recurring, politically motivated attack.
The financial disclosure document also detailed over $580 million in crypto-related income, with substantial amounts attributed to World Liberty Financial token sales and equity in its holding company.
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