President Trump received $630m alone last year from a range of products, including cryptocurrency, as well as licensing his name for real estate projects, watches, guitars, and Bibles. According to Eric Trump, the Trump Organization is worth between $8bn and $12bn.

Eric Trump hints at possible White House run after father’s term

Eric Trump hinted at a future presidential run, saying the Trump family could re-enter politics after Donald Trump’s second term, despite legal battles and personal tolls from years in the spotlight.

US President Donald Trump’s son, Eric Trump, has hinted that he or another Trump family member could seek the presidency once his father’s second term ends. In a recent interview with the Financial Times, the 41-year-old Trump Organization executive said a political path would be “an easy one” for him, though he remains undecided about entering public life.

“The real question is: ‘Do you want to drag other members of your family into it? Would I want my kids to live the same experience over the last decade that I’ve lived? Eric said, citing the toll of nearly a decade of public scrutiny and legal battles.

“If the answer was yes, I think I could do it. And I think other members of our family could do it too.”

Unlike his siblings, Donald Jr and Ivanka Trump, both of whom have taken on prominent political roles. Eric has largely stayed behind the scenes, focusing on the Trump family’s business empire. Yet, his recent comments suggest that he has been quietly observing the political landscape and weighing the future.

Eric also voiced frustration with the current political class, claiming he could “do the job very effectively,” and expressed disdain for many elected officials.

However, he remains cautious about the personal cost: “Do you want to subject the people you love to the brutality of this system?”

With rising Republican figures like Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio gaining momentum, speculation continues about what a post-Trump GOP might look like..

When asked if 2024 would be the final election with Trump on the ballot, Eric simply replied: “Time will tell. But there’s more people than just me.”

Addressing allegations that the Trump family enriched itself through politics, Eric pushed back, claiming the presidency came at a high cost. “If there’s one family that hasn’t profited off politics, it’s the Trump family,” he said, arguing the opportunity costs and legal expenses have been “astronomical.” He estimated the family has spent nearly USD 500 million defending itself against various investigations.

Despite this, Donald Trump’s wealth has surged, at least on paper. His stake in Trump Media & Technology Group is reportedly worth about USD 2 billion, and he earned USD 630 million last year from ventures including crypto, real estate branding, and merchandise.

Eric Trump values the Trump Organization between USD 8 billion and USD 12 billion, but says the price of political life goes beyond business: “The toll it’s taken on our family has been immense.”

While Eric stopped short of announcing any political ambitions, his remarks reignited speculation that the Trump dynasty is far from finished with American politics. Whether it’s him, Donald Jr, Ivanka, or someone else, the family remains a powerful force in the GOP, and the next chapter may just be beginning.

Eric Trump drops big time hint about possible successor to father’s presidency in 2028

Donald Trump‘s second son has fueled speculation that his family is seeking to establish a multi-generational political dynasty, saying he and other relatives may run for public office.

Eric Trump told the Financial Times that a political career would be ‘would be an easy one’ for family members, as they look beyond President Trump’s second term that ends in 2029.

Eric, 41, is a fierce defender of his father on television networks, while older brother Don Jr. is a key player in the Trump inner circle, using his podcast and social media presence to fire up the president’s base.

‘The real question is: “Do you want to drag other members of your family into it?”‘ Eric Trump said in an interview.

‘Would I want my kids to live the same experience over the last decade that I’ve lived?

‘If the answer was yes, I think the political path would be an easy one, meaning, I think I could do it,’ he said. ‘And by the way, I think other members of our family could do it too.’

Trump’s children and his close family have long been involved in his business life, and have also taken major roles as he moved into politics and took the White House in 2017.

In Trump’s first term, his daughter Ivanka and husband Jared Kushner held senior administration posts, though they have retreated from the political frontlines for now.

Donald Trump Jr., 47, has been at the forefront of his father’s political operation for many  years with conservative candidates coveting his endorsements.

Eric’s wife Lara Trump co-led the national Republican Party during the last election campaign receiving lavish praise from the candidate, and she now has her own show on Fox News.

Barron Trump, the president’s only child with wife Melania, is aged 19, but his father says he is interested in politics and helped him to draw in young male voters via podcasts and TikTok.

Kai Trump, 18, daughter of Don Jr. and ex-wife Vanessa Trump, spoke at last year’s Republican National Convention and is a competitive junior golfer.

Eric Trump told the Financial Times he was ‘wholly unimpressed by half the politicians I see’ adding ‘I could do it very effectively.’

Asked if a Trump would stand for election in future, he replied ‘I don´t know… Time will tell. But there’s more people than just me.’

Eric and Don Jr. run the Trump family business, which now includes a growing cryptocurrency portfolio.

Eric Trump denied any conflicts of interest, saying ‘if there’s one family that hasn’t profited off politics, it’s the Trump family.

‘The opportunity cost, the legal cost, the toll it’s taken on our family has been astronomical.’

The Trumps are widely believed to have taken the monetizing of their powerful status to unprecedented levels for US first families.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has agreed to finance a film about Melania Trump, reportedly netting her $28 million.

Other close family are involved in multi-billion-dollar real estate deals abroad, and Don Jr. is launching a Washington club where membership reportedly costs more than half a million dollars.

In May, President Trump hosted a dinner at one of his golf clubs for investors in his $TRUMP cryptocurrency, which he launched shortly before reentering the White House.

Seats went to investors who bought the most of the currency, with the top 25 holders gaining a private reception with Trump himself.

The businesses that are, and aren’t, shifting production under Trump’s tariffs

But reviving the U.S. manufacturing base would take years, and economists have doubts that President Donald Trump’s tariffs will be enough to bring it back to its former glory. Meanwhile, many U.S. manufacturers that rely on imports may be more likely to pass on tariff costs to consumers than reshore their supply chains.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
Nearly one-third of U.S. manufacturers’ intermediate inputs are imported from other countries, according to a 2022 report from the Commerce Department.

“In the short run, it’s going to hurt manufacturers. It’s going to hurt the factory owners. It’s going to hurt the workers,” said Nancy Qian, an economics professor at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. “And that’s on top of the pain the workers will feel when they go to the store and need to pay more for their imported (items).”

Why shifting to US suppliers isn’t always an easy solution

Trump’s tariffs are meant to position the U.S. as a “global superpower in manufacturing” by drawing in new factories and manufacturing investments.

“The president has said early and often that the best way to avoid tariffs is to just come here and produce,” Trump’s top trade adviser, Peter Navarro, told CNBC in early April. “We’re going to get to a place where America makes stuff again.”

But moving supply chains to the U.S. can be costly.

Nearly two-thirds of 380 surveyed companies say building a new domestic supply chain would at least double their current costs, according to an April CNBC survey. Sixty-one percent said it would be more cost-effective to relocate to a lower-tariffed country.

“If the U.S. continues its focus on China, it will be successful in moving production out of China to some extent, but it won’t move so much of it back to the U.S.,” Qian said. “There are many other countries out there that can manufacture at costs lower than the U.S.”

Even if tariffs boost U.S. manufacturing, it’ll take years for new factories to get up and running. That could leave U.S. companies searching for domestic suppliers struggling in the meantime.

Take 000Skin, a beauty company launched by Hannah Chang earlier this year. While 000Skin is based in New York, Chang has been sourcing the containers for her skin care products in China, where she says manufacturing capabilities are unmatched.

“I think people are not aware how much work and infrastructure even creating a plastic jar takes,” Chang said.

But rising import costs from tariffs have thrown her for a loop. Chang has looked for alternative suppliers in the U.S., but says she has yet to find options that match the quality and price of what Chinese manufacturers can supply. She’s considered shifting to a Mexican producer, but said it’s been difficult finding one willing to work with smaller businesses.

“I’ll probably just continue to look at China-based partners,” Chang said, adding that she’s considering raising prices to cover at least some of the 30% tariff rate.

Courtney Rivenbark looked into working with U.S. manufacturers when she created her apparel and jewelry brand, Coco Clem, in 2018.

The high production costs turned her away, and she eventually pivoted to a partnership with a Chinese factory she said aligned with her ethical and environmental goals.

“China is just very advanced with their machines and equipment and technology,” Rivenbark said. “The whole supply chain exists in China – the knits, the yard, the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified organic cotton yarn.”

After Trump announced new tariffs earlier this year, Rivenbark said she compared pricing from China with U.S. manufacturers. She said it would cost her three times more to create the same sweater in the U.S., and local manufacturers didn’t have the technology to create certain garments in plus sizes.

“I would move (production to the U.S.) if the infrastructure was here,” Rivenbark said. But “it’s just so much more expensive. … I’m not really interested in moving it outside of China because of a potential short-term policy switch.”

How many factories, jobs are coming to the US?

That’s not to say tariffs aren’t pressuring some businesses to increase their investments in the U.S. Whether those moves will lead to a dramatic influx of manufacturing jobs is another question.

Cra-Z-Art – a New Jersey-based manufacturer that produces toys, activities and school supplies – in March announced plans to grow production space by 50% to 1.5 million square feet to combat the cost of tariffs.

Lawrence Rosen, chairman of Cra-Z-Art, said it’s too early to say how many jobs the move will create, but the company is looking to use automation “wherever possible” to reduce direct labor costs.

“I need to control my 102-year-old company’s destiny by controlling its future and not relying on global tariffs when things could change daily,” Lawrence said. “By manufacturing in the USA, we save on freight, we save with automation. … With automation, we can produce many of our products at a similar cost compared to increased costs with even 10% tariffs on freight.”

A White House website claims Trump’s policies have spurred trillions of dollars in new U.S. manufacturing investments that are “fueling job growth, innovation, and opportunity across every corner of the country.”

A number of those investments were in the works before Trump took office.

A $5 billion investment from automaker Stellantis, for instance, includes plans to restart an idled plant in Belvidere, Illinois, to make trucks, a deal first announced in 2023. While there were talks of delays in 2024, the company in January confirmed that it would stick to the 2027 opening agreed to in union negotiations years prior.

And a spokesperson for German medical technology company Siemens Healthineers, another company listed on the website, told USA TODAY that several of the initiatives included in its $150 million investment in new and expanded U.S. facilities have been underway for “well over a year,” although projects were accelerated to address rising economic and geopolitical uncertainty.

Michael Strain, director of economic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, doesn’t expect to see much reshoring tied to tariffs.

“For a business to set up a factory in the United States, that’s a 10-year investment or longer,” Strain said. “How can a business possibly know whether or not that would be profitable if tariff rates are changing every week?”

Some data suggests the domestic manufacturing industry has actually taken a hit from tariffs, with trade policy uncertainty prompting some companies to tighten their purse strings.

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in May for the third consecutive month to reach its lowest level since November, with both orders and output contracting, according to a survey by the Institute for Supply Management. Meanwhile, the manufacturing sector lost about 8,000 jobs between April and May despite an overall increase in employment, according to the Labor Department.

Susan Helper, an economics professor at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio who served on the White House staff in both the Obama and Biden Administrations, believes tariffs can be a useful tool, but the uncertainty surrounding trade policy has been “a real problem.”

“I think what companies are doing is just not investing anywhere in anything and just waiting to see how things shake out,” she said.

‘That throbbing feeling’: Trump’s reminder of the threat to his life

Trump has talked about still experiencing a sensation in his ear after he was shot in an assassination attempt last July in Butler, Pennsylvania.

The president also mentioned “a little throbbing feeling” in a Fox News interview last month that touched on the investigations into two foiled assassination attempts against Trump in 2024.

Trump was discussing Lebanon, where Iran proxy group Hezbollah is based, when he touched on the threats to his life. Trump bombed Iranian nuclear facilities, prompting a counter attack on a U.S. military base. Israel and Iran have since agreed to a ceasefire.

“This is a dangerous business,” Trump said. “What I do is a dangerous business.”