Business analyst Ed Elson has accused President Donald Trump and members of his family of financially benefiting from developments surrounding the Iran war, alleging that investments tied to defense technology and cryptocurrency raise serious ethical questions. The allegations, made during a televised discussion with MSNBC anchor Katy Tur, have not been substantiated by independent evidence.
The remarks came as renewed attention focused on the financial growth of businesses linked to the Trump family. According to the report, Donald Trump Jr.'s investment fund expanded from a few hundred million dollars in assets to more than $3 billion as of June 30, generating returns of roughly 200%. During the discussion, Tur contrasted that performance with average returns of approximately 21% for comparable venture capital firms.
Speaking on the Prof G Markets podcast and during the television interview, Elson argued that the timing of several Trump family investments deserved closer scrutiny. Referring to investments in tactical drone companies that supply the U.S. government, he suggested the gains coincided with the military conflict involving Iran.
Elson alleged that Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. obtained stakes in drone manufacturers before the conflict began and claimed members of the Trump family also sit on the boards of companies that could benefit from regulatory changes. He further alleged that the administration had weakened oversight by reducing the capacity of agencies including the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to the report, IBTimes UK said those allegations could not be independently verified.
The analyst also expanded his criticism beyond defense-related investments. He argued that the president's cryptocurrency ventures had generated enormous personal wealth, claiming Trump earned approximately $1.4 billion from digital assets last year. Elson asserted that the figure exceeded the personal earnings of executives at some of the largest cryptocurrency companies in the United States, including Coinbase.
Summarizing his position, Elson told viewers, "So, I mean, do the math yourself. Either he's a genius or he's pulling a fast one. I think it's pretty clear what the answer is." The comments reflected Elson's personal assessment and were presented without independent evidence establishing insider trading or other wrongdoing.
The report also pointed to a separate business initiative involving Trump Media & Technology Group. According to the article, the company planned to launch a subscription data service priced at $100,000 per month beginning Aug. 1. The proposed service would provide licensed, real-time access to posts from prominent Truth Social accounts, allowing high-frequency trading firms to receive information fractions of a second ahead of other market participants.
During the discussion, Tur suggested that public attitudes toward allegations involving ethics and financial conflicts may be shifting. According to the report, she said many voters had previously tolerated what she described as ethical gray areas but argued that recent polling indicated growing concern among Americans about corruption and conflicts of interest.
