Trump says everyone in America is 'profiting' from his presidency — claims your 401(k) is up 85%. How to get your share
Trump says everyone in America is 'profiting' from his presidency — claims your 401(k) is up 85%. How to get your share.
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President Donald Trump says his personal wealth is surging for the same reason ordinary Americans are getting richer: the stock market is going up.
Trump made the argument after a reporter asked (1) what message his highly lucrative year sends to Americans who are struggling financially.
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"I don't get involved," Trump said of his investments. "We have funds that run my money."
The reporter then pressed him on criticism that he is profiting from the presidency.
"You know why I'm profiting? Because the stock market's going up," he responded. "Everybody's profiting."
"If you have a 401(k), how's your 401(k) done?" he asked. "It's about up 85%. 'Thank you, President Trump!' So, we're all profiting."
Trump's comments came after his latest annual financial disclosure revealed an extraordinary year for the billionaire president.
He reported more than $1.4 billion (2) in income from his family's cryptocurrency ventures in 2025. Meanwhile, his expanding portfolios of stocks and bonds were valued at between $703 million and $2.6 billion at the end of 2025, up from between $225 million and $608 million one year earlier.
The stock market has certainly climbed. The benchmark S&P 500 has gained about 25% since the beginning of Trump's second term, lifting retirement accounts along the way. This is despite several whipsaw market moments from 2025, such as April's reciprocal tariffs.
According to Fidelity (3), the average 401(k) balance rose 11% from Q1 2025 to Q1 2026, reaching $141,000.
Vanguard reported (4) a similar trend, stating that "strong market performance in 2025 led directly to substantial increases in retirement accounts." Its average 401(k) balance rose 13% in 2025 to an all-time high of $167,970.
Federal Reserve data (5) shows that the wealthiest 10% of Americans hold more than 87% of corporate equities and mutual fund shares. The bottom 50%, by comparison, collectively owns just 1% of that stock and mutual fund wealth.
A booming market can make investors significantly wealthier — but you need to own assets to participate in that growth.
Trump did not cite a source for his claim that 401(k)s are up 85%, but he is right that stock investors have benefited from a powerful market rally.