Trump corruption controversies mount — crypto profits, Qatar jet, FIFA call

Controversies over self-dealing and abuse of power surrounding President Donald Trump are intensifying, raising his political exposure on multiple fronts.

After dramatically expanding his personal wealth during the first year of his second term, Trump now faces fresh criticism over the privatization of a presidential jet gifted by the Qatari royal family, as well as his intervention in a FIFA disciplinary ruling that had threatened to sideline the US men's national team's top scorer, Folarin Balogun of AS Monaco, from the North America World Cup.

CNN said "recent cases — including profits from virtual assets and the controversy over Balogun's red card reversal — are reinforcing the image of President Trump as corrupt and self-serving," adding that this represents "a potential risk that could become a political liability for the Republican Party going forward."

Chief among the concerns is the scale of Trump's reported income. In his 2025 financial disclosure filed with the Office of Government Ethics, Trump reported earning more than $2.2 billion last year.

The most striking element is that the Trump family reported more than $1.4 billion in income from meme coins and virtual asset ventures — a sharp increase from the at least $622 million Trump disclosed before returning to the White House.

World Liberty Financial, the cryptocurrency firm Trump founded with his sons, generated at least $525 million from token sales and $65 million from equity sales. Royalties from coin licensing agreements totaled $635 million, and stablecoin transactions yielded a net profit of $196 million.

Trump also reported receiving a combined $86.5 million in settlements from five separate lawsuits against YouTube and Meta.

A separate controversy involving FIFA's North America World Cup has also drawn scrutiny.

Balogun, widely regarded as the US team's top scorer, received a red card on July 2 after stepping on the ankle of Bosnia and Herzegovina's Tarik Muharemovic (Sassuolo) during the Round of 32 match at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The suspension would have barred him from the Round of 16 match against Belgium on Monday.

FIFA notified the US Soccer Federation on Friday that it would suspend enforcement of Balogun's one-match ban for one year. The reversal — coming after reports emerged that Trump had spoken with FIFA President Gianni Infantino about the matter — prompted criticism that FIFA had compromised its impartiality under presidential pressure.

Trump acknowledged at a White House event Friday launching the "Trump Savings Account" that he had called Infantino about Balogun's red card.

Trump insisted, however, "All I did was ask for a review. I didn't tell Gianni Infantino what to do. He didn't make the decision — a committee did, and I think it was the right decision."

Asked whether his involvement could set a precedent for politics interfering in soccer, Trump said he was unsure, adding: "All I can say is I had nothing to do with it. I just said it should be reviewed and that the player did nothing wrong."

CNN said that regardless of Trump's stated intentions, his intervention alone was enough to cast doubt on the fairness of FIFA's decision, given his track record.

Trump's stated desire to display the new presidential aircraft — a Boeing 747-8i worth about $400 million donated by the Qatari royal family last May — at a presidential library bearing his name after he leaves office has also drawn conflict-of-interest criticism.

CNN said these controversies are deepening negative perceptions of Trump among Americans.

A Pew Research Center survey conducted last October found that 61 percent of respondents said Trump had "improperly used the presidency to enrich himself, his family and associates." A separate poll by The Washington Post and Ipsos found that 56 percent believed Trump was "using the presidency to increase his own wealth."

CNN said "the greatest danger for President Trump is not that people will see him as newly corrupt, but that 'corruption and self-dealing' will become the defining image of his presidency," warning that "if the perception spreads that the president is more focused on enriching himself than on the public — particularly as economic conditions fall short of expectations and the cost of living rises — the political burden will only grow."