ACCOUNTABILITY
Who Profits From the War?
Every American should pause whenever a president commits our military to a region where he, his family, or businesses connected to him also have significant financial interests.
That statement should not apply only to Donald Trump. It should apply to every president, every political party, and every administration.
The issue is not guilt. The issue is confidence.
America was built upon the understanding that power must never operate without accountability. Our Constitution established checks and balances because our Founders understood that even honorable people should never be placed in positions where personal interests and public responsibilities might become intertwined without independent oversight.
The size of the financial interests involved is no longer theoretical.
According to Donald Trump's public financial disclosures, businesses associated with him generated approximately $2.2 billion in reported income during 2025. More than $1.4 billion was connected to cryptocurrency ventures. Reuters has also reported that the Trump family earned at least $2.3 billion from crypto projects after he returned to the White House.
Those figures describe income already received. They do not include the full potential value of unsold digital assets, future licensing fees, hotel-management income, golf operations, residential sales, or Trump-branded developments that have not yet been completed.
World Liberty Financial, the Trump family's cryptocurrency company, sold billions of dollars in tokens and business interests. A company associated with a member of the United Arab Emirates' royal family agreed to purchase a substantial ownership interest in that enterprise. A second state-backed company from Abu Dhabi used World Liberty's digital currency to complete a multibillion-dollar investment in Binance, creating the potential for continuing income through the management of those assets.
At the same time, the Trump Organization expanded its physical business presence across the Gulf.
In Saudi Arabia, projects include Trump Tower Jeddah, Trump Plaza Jeddah, luxury residences, a hotel, and a championship golf course near Riyadh. In Qatar, a Trump golf course and luxury-villa development forms part of a multibillion-dollar resort district. In Oman, Trump International Oman is planned as a luxury hotel, residential, and golf development. In Dubai, an 80-story Trump International Hotel and Tower is under development.
The Trump family will not personally receive the entire value of these developments. Project value is not the same as profit. But projects of this magnitude can generate substantial licensing, branding, management, and operating income for many years.
During the campaign and after returning to office, President Trump also spoke publicly about redevelopment concepts for Gaza once the conflict ended. Those statements, combined with the Trump Organization's expanding business interests throughout the Middle East, add another layer to the questions that deserve independent examination. Oversight exists to remove doubt through transparency.
The questions surrounding these financial relationships extend beyond business ventures. President Trump later granted a presidential pardon to Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance, after Zhao had pleaded guilty in federal court to anti-money-laundering violations that allowed Binance to process transactions connected to illicit activity, including transactions linked to terrorist organizations. At the time of the pardon, Binance and Zhao also had documented financial connections to the Trump family's cryptocurrency venture. Members of Congress have since requested information while examining whether any improper relationship existed between those financial ties and the pardon. An investigation is not proof of wrongdoing. But it is another example of why transparency and independent oversight are essential whenever presidential authority and private financial interests intersect.
No single transaction proves that a military or foreign-policy decision was improperly influenced. But the American people should not be asked to ignore the scale of the overlap.
The same governments and ruling families that seek American weapons, military protection, advanced technology, favorable trade treatment, and presidential access are connected—directly or indirectly—to business ventures capable of producing extraordinary wealth for the president's family.
That is not proof of corruption. It is more than enough reason for investigation.
Our duty as citizens is not blind trust. Our duty is thoughtful vigilance. Good citizens ask questions. Good leaders welcome those questions. Good governments answer them with evidence.
The purpose of an investigation is not to prove guilt.
The purpose of an investigation is to preserve public confidence.
If no improper influence existed, an independent investigation will strengthen the presidency.
If improper influence is discovered, an independent investigation will strengthen the Republic.
In either case, the American people deserve the truth.
— Rollin E. Trueblood, USMC (Ret.)