Takeaways from the AP’s reporting on Trump’s business deals

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WASHINGTON (AP) — From crypto coins to bibles, overseas development deals to an upcoming line of cellphones, President Donald Trump’s family businesses have raked in hundreds of millions of dollars since his election.

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That flood of money — from billionaires, foreign governments and cryptocurrency tycoons, often with interests before the federal government — has permitted the president to leverage the power of his office for personal gain unlike any of his predecessors.

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The sums collected are far greater than those made by the family during Trump’s first term, when patronage of his hotels and other properties was de rigueur to curry favor with the famously transactional commander-in-chief.

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Here are some takeaways from The Associated Press’ reporting on the Trump family’s latest money-making ventures:

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By the numbers

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Trump made money during his first term by turning his hotels and resort properties into destinations for his MAGA allies — and those who sought to curry favor with him.

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This time around, the family’s ambitions are grander. One of Trump’s cryptocurrencies is conservatively estimated to have pulled in at least $320 million since January, while another received a $2 billion investment from a foreign government wealth fund. A third has sold at least $550 million in tokens.

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His sons have jetted across the Middle East to line up new development deals, while his daughter and son-in-law are working with the Albanian government to build a Mediterranean island resort. Even first lady Melania Trump has inked a $40 million documentary deal with Amazon, whose founder, Jeff Bezos, was a frequent target of Trump during his first presidency and whose companies contract extensively with the federal government.

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He’s also touted a line of Trump shoes, a Bible that is made in China, and Trump guitars, one of which is a Gibson Les Paul knockoff, featuring “Make America Great Again” fret inlays, that sells for $1,500.

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He’s continued to make money from political spending at his hotels, resorts and golf courses, as he has done for over a decade. Conservative groups and Republican committees have spent at least $25 million at Trump properties since 2015, with most of it coming from Trump’s own political organization, campaign finance disclosures show

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Is this normal?

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Since Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace, presidents have gone to great lengths to avoid the appearance of such conflicts.

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Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan kept assets in a “blind trust,” while George H.W. Bush used a “diversified trust,” which blocked him from knowing what was in his portfolio. His son, George W. Bush, used a similar arrangement.

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Barack Obama was an exception, but his investments were mostly a bland mix of index funds and U.S. treasuries. During his first term, Trump even gave a nod toward ethics, issuing a moratorium on foreign deals. But instead of placing his assets in a blind trust like many of his predecessors, he handed the reins of the Trump Organization to his children, which kept his financial holdings close.