CNN's Dana Bash Accuses Donald Trump of 'Profiting Off the Presidency' After Launching New Venture: 'How Is This Not Insider Trading?'

CNN anchor Dana Bash recently stated that President Donald Trump's latest business move is "another example of the Trump family profiting off of his presidency.”

During a segment on CNN's Inside Politics, Bash questioned the legality of Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG) launching "Truth API," a paid data feed selling Wall Street firms millisecond-faster access to market-moving Truth Social posts.

Bash questioned the ethics of the arrangement, asking on-air, "How is this not insider trading?"

“President Trump’s media company is going to start selling Wall Street firms faster access to Truth Social posts, including the president and his son’s [posts]. It appears to be yet another example of the Trump family profiting off of his presidency,” Bash noted.

CNN senior business reporter Dave Goldman noted that while selling API access is common for platforms like X and Meta, the ethical conflict stems from Trump owning a 41 percent stake in the platform where he directly generates official news.

"So basically, this is the company saying, yes, we acknowledge that people are buying and selling stocks based on what the president says on Truth Social. And now we’re going to sell even faster access to it so that the company can make money," Goldman explained.

The debate highlights ongoing friction regarding the president's business holdings while in office.

The administration has repeatedly pushed back on claims of improper profits. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt previously called such accusations "absolutely absurd," laughably arguing that Trump has sacrificed substantial private-sector earnings to serve the public.

Ethical questions surrounding the platform have drawn scrutiny from both sides of the aisle. For instance, Utah Republican Sen. John Curtis commented on the program that the arrangement "doesn't pass the smell test" from a standpoint of good governance.

Investigative reports and mandatory financial disclosures indicate that the octogenarian president and his family have generated billions of dollars in revenue through digital assets, commercial branding and real estate while he has occupied the Oval Office.

Financial disclosures released in mid-2026 highlight a historic surge in personal income driven by the digital asset market, including a crypto windfall that generated at least $1.4 billion from family cryptocurrency ventures.

World Liberty Financial, a decentralized finance (DeFi) protocol co-founded by Trump and his family members to bridge traditional finance with blockchain technology, brought the family a $590 million profit, while meme coins accumulated $635 million via Trump-branded cryptocurrency tokens.

A comprehensive House Oversight Committee report titled "White House for Sale" detailed extensive foreign state spending at Trump-owned properties, tracing at least $7.8 million from 20 foreign governments.

The Trump Organization expanded its footprint abroad during his political tenure, actively pursuing over 20 overseas development projects, earning at least $23 million licensing the family name internationally, and securing luxury deals in Oman, India, Vietnam, and Saudi Arabia.

Trump merch also brought in windfalls, as did the president’s private country and golf club memberships and events.

The administration maintains that no conflicts of interest have occurred and Trump dubiously argued his earnings mirror the broader economy. He noted, "everybody's profiting because the stock market's going up.”