U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks with reporters before boarding the new Air Force One, a plane gifted by the Qatari government, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., July 1, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci
President Donald Trump stunned his critics on Thursday with a remark he made about his kids during an interview on CNBC.
Trump was asked by CNBC's Joe Kernen about allegations that his children are using insider information to gain favorable business deals. The president recently disclosed that he earned more than $2 billion during his second term, alarming many political analysts and ethics experts.
"I feel bad in a way for my kids because every time my kids do, if they invest in a stock or if they go and do a bill, anything they do, because the presidency is so powerful, so big, everything if they buy a cupcake company, well, the energy to make the cupcakes is sort of like, how’s my energy policy?" Trump told Kernen. "So therefore, you have ... almost anything they do, if they buy an energy-efficient truck, they have inside information. So it’s pretty tough in that sense. I tell my kids, 'Stay away from as much as you can stay away from.' But they also have a life.”
Questions about the investments made by Trump's children, Don Jr. and Eric, have swirled following the release of Trump's financial disclosures. For instance, Trump's sons recently invested in a mining company in Kazakhstan that later won a nine-figure contract with the federal government.
Trump's critics sounded off on social media after the CNBC interview was over.
"He actually says this? Wow," Stephen Soldz, a psychologist and researcher in Boston, posted on Bluesky.
"Pure corruption. I look forward to the congressional hearings," Zak Williams, a political consultant at Zenith Strategies, posted on Bluesky.
"The most corrupt administration in American history and it’s not even close," Max Berger, co-founder of the Momentum Training Institute, posted on Bluesky.
"Looking forward to all the Hunter Biden critics weighing in. Especially on Fox," David Corn, Washington bureau chief for Mother Jones, posted on Bluesky.