Trump faces backlash over crypto profits and Qatar-gifted Air Force One

Donald Trump’s latest financial disclosure put the conflict-of-interest question back at the center of his presidency, showing more than $1.4 billion in income from family crypto ventures as his administration loosened rules around digital assets. The June 30 filing showed roughly $800 million from World Liberty Financial and about $635 million from Trump-branded meme coins, leaving Trump with most of his income tied to digital assets that have benefited from his policies.

The disclosure landed alongside a new symbol of presidential power with its own ethical burden: a Boeing 747-8 gifted by Qatar’s government and now being used as a temporary Air Force One. The aircraft was unveiled at Joint Base Andrews on June 19, and Trump took his first official flight on it July 1. He has described the plane as a bridge until Boeing’s new presidential aircraft are delivered, now expected sometime in 2028.

The jet has been described as a roughly $400 million gift and one of the biggest foreign gifts ever received by the U.S. government. That has drawn questions from lawmakers and ethics experts about foreign influence and conflicts of interest, especially because Trump and his family maintain business ties in the Gulf. The scale of the gift, paired with the timing of the crypto income, has sharpened scrutiny over what guardrails exist when a sitting president profits from sectors his administration regulates and accepts high-value benefits with foreign-policy implications.

The Air Force has said it leased a 747-8 last year so pilots and maintenance crews could begin training on the model, underscoring that the aircraft was treated as an operational stopgap as much as a prestige item. Officials have also said the plane was prioritized for readiness over aesthetics, leaving open the possibility that many luxury features may remain intact. In practical terms, Trump is now drawing substantial private income from a market shaped by his own policy choices while traveling aboard a government-gifted jet financed by a foreign state, a combination likely to keep the ethics debate alive as Boeing’s delayed presidential aircraft remain years away.