Trump Lashes Out at Reporter Asking About Income

President Donald Trump clashed with reporters on Tuesday morning, just before boarding Air Force One for a state visit to the U.K. What was supposed to be a routine press gaggle quickly turned into another Trump spectacle—this time over his growing fortune while serving as president.

Australian journalist John Lyons asked what many Americans have been wondering: how appropriate is it for a sitting president to rake in billions while in office?

Trump’s face tightened. “Well, I’m really not. My kids are running the business. I’m here,” he snapped, before pivoting to a personal jab. “In my opinion, you are hurting Australia very much right now, and they want to get along with me.”

When Lyons tried to press again, Trump threatened to raise the matter with Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. “You know your leader is coming over to see me very soon. I’m going to tell them about you. You set a very bad tone.” Moments later, he barked: “Quiet!”

The exchange comes as Trump’s net worth is estimated at an all-time high. Forbes recently pegged his fortune at $7.3 billion—up $3 billion in just the last year. Much of the windfall has nothing to do with hotels or golf courses. Instead, it’s tied to the Trump family’s cryptocurrency empire.

The World Liberty Financial token, heavily promoted by Trump and his adult children, has already generated an estimated $1.4 billion in sales. Reports suggest the family personally pockets around 75 percent of that figure. The Wall Street Journal calculated the family’s overall wealth jump at more than $5 billion since the token began trading.

A separate New Yorker investigation published in August predicted the Trumps could enrich themselves by at least $3.4 billion by the end of Trump’s second term. “This is a scale of profiteering America has simply never seen from a sitting president,” one ethics analyst told the magazine.

Defending himself, Trump insisted his money mostly came before politics. “Most of the deals that I’ve made were made before,” he said. Then, almost off-hand, he pointed toward the White House grounds. “I’m building a building here. A ballroom. Two hundred million.”

The off-the-cuff remark stunned many observers. While previous presidents avoided blending private interests with public duty, Trump once again seemed to blur the lines.

The fireworks didn’t stop with Lyons. When an ABC News correspondent asked Trump about critics who say Attorney General Pam Bondi’s proposal to criminalize “hate speech” is an attack on free speech, Trump shot back: “They’ll probably go after people like you, because you treat me so unfairly. You have a lot of hate in your heart, maybe they’ll come after ABC.”

Civil liberties groups are already sounding alarms, warning that the administration could weaponize such laws against journalists and political opponents.

For Democrats, Tuesday’s spectacle underscored a grim reality: Trump is once again cashing in on the presidency while threatening reporters who question him. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said in a statement that the moment “was a flashing neon sign of corruption. We are watching a president turn the White House into his personal business office.”

Whether Trump faces accountability remains unclear. But one thing is certain: his family’s financial empire is growing as fast as his temper.