PoliticsDonald Trump's Financial Disclosure Shows His Lawsuits Have Become Brisk Business
Donald Trump's financial disclosure listed millions earned through legal settlements.
July 6 2026, Published 8:32 a.m. ET
President Donald Trump’s legal wars with media and tech companies are wielded as a political weapon, but they’re also a lucrative income stream.
A financial disclosure released by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics showed Trump earned $86.5 million last year from legal settlements with media and tech companies he had sued. The payments were part of a broader annual disclosure showing more than $2 billion in income last year, driven largely by cryptocurrency, which brought in about $1.2 billion, followed by real estate and licensing deals.
The legal settlement total stands out because Trump has never won a defamation case in court, despite filing dozens such lawsuits against news organizations and journalists over the years. He still has several defamation lawsuits pending, however.
The Settlements Add Up
Disney paid $15 million to resolve the president's lawsuit against George Stephanopoulos.
The disclosure listed several high-profile settlements. Disney, the parent company of ABC News, paid $15 million to resolve Trump’s lawsuit against George Stephanopoulos. Paramount Global paid $16 million to settle Trump’s lawsuit against CBS News and 60 Minutes.
On the tech side, Trump received a combined $59 million from the parent companies of YouTube, Facebook and X over claims tied to his account suspensions after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. The platforms had cited policies against inciting violence, though Trump’s accounts were restored before the settlements were reached.
The money went to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation Inc., according to the disclosure.
The Power Behind the Payouts
Critics questioned the timing of several high-profile settlements.
Trump’s critics say the issue is the timing and pressure surrounding the settlements. All of the cases cited were resolved after Election Day 2024, as companies faced a president whose administration had influence over regulatory decisions.
Paramount’s settlement drew particular scrutiny because federal regulators approved Skydance Media’s buyout of Paramount less than three weeks later.
That point was hammered home by Stephen Colbert throughout his final months hosting The Late Show, which was canceled by Paramount’s CBS.
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More Cases Still Pending
Donald Trump continues pursuing additional defamation lawsuits against news outlets.
Trump still has defamation lawsuits pending against major media organizations and reporters, with damage demands reaching into the tens of billions. Targets include The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and the BBC.
He faces an uphill legal fight, however, as U.S. defamation law requires public figures to prove actual malice, meaning a publication knew something was false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth.
The Bigger Money Picture
Cryptocurrency remains Donald Trump's largest reported source of income.
Trump brought in $1.2 billion from crypto holdings, including more than $500 million from World Liberty Financial’s sale of “governance tokens” and “stablecoins” and more than $600 million from meme coins, the value of which has since declined.
The disclosure also listed millions from foreign real estate projects, raising questions about dealing favors, as well as licensed products including watches, Bibles, and fragrances.
