
Trump’s fortune skyrockets to $5.1 billion
Euphoria and fortune are in the air for US President Donald Trump. According to the latest Forbes ranking, Trump's net worth has more than doubled in just one year, soaring to $5.1 billion. It is a victory worthy of headlines and comparisons.
In 2024, the US president’s total fortune was estimated at $2.3 billion. By early 2025, that number surged to a staggering $5.1 billion. Over the course of 12 months, Trump’s assets gained $2.8 billion in value, a record leap. Forbes attributes this dramatic rise to multiple factors, including what it describes as a "highly profitable cryptocurrency investment."
Real estate remains Trump's core asset. The Republican leader also owns golf resorts, private estates, a vineyard, and a Boeing 757-200 jet nicknamed Trump Force One. Last year, Trump Media & Technology Group, his media venture, went public, listing its shares on the stock market and delivering a fresh wave of income to the president.
"Few billionaires have had a better year than Donald Trump," Forbes noted in its 39th annual ranking of the world's wealthiest individuals.
Still, the global crown remains with Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, who also serves in Trump's administration as part of the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk's net worth climbed to $342 billion last year, putting him ahead of former frontrunner Bernard Arnault, chairman of luxury conglomerate LVMH. The French billionaire now ranks fifth.
This year's list of the wealthiest people has 288 new members, including the world's first billionaire to make his fortune selling burritos. That title goes to Steve Ells, founder of fast-casual chain Chipotle. Over more than three decades, the company has grown to 130,000 employees and a market capitalization of $58 billion. Ells stepped down from the board in 2020, but in 2024, he launched a new venture, Kernel, a "restaurant of the future" where every dish is prepared by robots.