President Donald Trump disclosed a personal income of $2.2 billion for 2025, according to White House financial disclosures released this week. Approximately $1.4 billion of this income came from cryptocurrency assets, marking a significant portion of his earnings during his second term in office, Fortune.com reported.
The disclosure has drawn attention from economists and legal experts who linked it to the 'big player theory,' a concept describing how influential individuals can independently affect market dynamics. Steve Hanke, a Johns Hopkins economist and former advisor to the Trump administration, noted that Trump’s income fits this theory, emphasizing the president’s capacity to move supply, demand, and market expectations through his financial activities.
The big player theory, originally formulated by Syracuse University professor Roger Koppl, identifies actors large enough to shift markets without being constrained by typical profit and loss considerations. Hanke, who has advised governments in Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America, sees parallels between market manipulation in developing countries and the economic influence exerted by Trump in Washington, highlighting a new era in economic dynamics.
The financial disclosures were made public this week, providing detailed insight into the sources of Trump’s income for 2025. The $2.2 billion figure is among the largest personal income disclosures by a sitting president, with cryptocurrency assets constituting the majority of the total, according to Fortune.com.