Although it may not seem so, Donald Trump is a successful author. He has written a dozen books, some of which, such as The Art of the Deal, reached the top of the bestseller lists.
The US president has never been one to overlook a business opportunity. Over the years, he has been a builder, a real-estate developer, a casino owner, a television personality whose audience enjoyed watching him fire employees, and even an aspiring owner of a professional football team.
Since moving into the Oval Office, however, he has increasingly turned his attention to more modern and intangible assets: cryptocurrencies and digital tokens, which have helped expand his vast fortune, estimated at around $7.6 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The core of his business empire rests on two relatively stable pillars: real estate and his brand. He owns dozens of luxury hotel developments across the Middle East, where he has expanded his business interests since returning to the White House in January 2025.
He has also secured a growing number of deals to develop golf courses, luxury residential projects and skyscrapers in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
Many of these projects are owned by other investors, but Trump licenses his name as a symbol of luxury in exchange for substantial fees.
The entire operation falls under the umbrella of The Trump Organization, the cornerstone of his business empire, which is currently managed by his sons, Eric and Donald Jr., through a trust.
“By keeping his assets in a family-managed trust, which he can revoke at any time, Trump and his family are in the unique position to profit directly from his public service,” explains the advocacy group Open Secrets.
Under The Trump Organization, the president’s family controls dozens of real-estate assets.
According to the company’s website, its portfolio includes more than a dozen hotels in locations such as New York, Doonbeg in Ireland, Turnberry in Scotland, Oman, Vietnam and the Maldives. Alongside many of these resorts, it also operates golf courses.
Altogether, the conglomerate says it manages more than 20 public and private golf properties around the world. Some are not company-owned, but are operated by the organization.
The group also owns roughly 40 luxury towers and high-end properties worldwide. In the New York–New Jersey area alone, it has 16 towers. Others can be found in Romania, the Philippines, Turkey and Uruguay.
Not all of these buildings are owned by Trump; in some cases, he licenses his name as a luxury brand. The company also leases commercial space within these properties, generating another lucrative source of revenue.
The Trump brand itself is highly profitable. The company licenses the Trump name for buildings and other real-estate developments in exchange for fees, a practice that has drawn criticism and scrutiny over potential conflicts of interest.
The holding company also sells merchandise associated with the president. A Trump-branded polo shirt costs $80, while a baseball cap sells for $36.
According to the financial disclosure released on Tuesday, the group earned more than $635 million from commemorative coins issued during Trump’s presidency. It also reported nearly $5 million in revenue from Trump-branded watches and $208,000 from sales of a Bible bearing the president’s name.
The group also has a dozen new real-estate projects underway, expanding its portfolio in countries including India, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Indonesia, Georgia and Romania.
