Do presidents always make this much money?

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Since the beginning of time, there have been Presidents of the United States. But not until recently have those Presidents figured out how to make money. It’s time we uncover exactly whether this sort of presidential profiteering is a new phenomenon, or just something everyone is freaking out about right now.

Featuring interviews with:

Julian Zelizer, Historian, Professor at Princeton University and author of “The Long View” on Substack. Subscribe to the Long View (its really good) here: https://substack.com/@julianzelizer

Amy Walker, Reporter and Graphics Editor at The New York Times. Follow Amy here: https://x.com/amyswalk

Shelby Talcott, White House Correspondent at Semafor. Follow Shelby here: https://x.com/ShelbyTalcott

Zachary Karabell, Author and Historian. Follow Zachary here: https://x.com/zacharykarabell?lang=en

Some good articles about this topic:

The New Yorker: How much is Trump pocketing off the presidency?
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/08/18/the-number

Wall Street Journal: ‘Spy Sheikh’ Bought Secret Stake in Trump Company
https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/spy-sheikh-secret-stake-trump-crypto-tahnoon-ea4d97e8

New York Times: Trump’s Tangled Web of Deal-Making, Policy and Riches
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/12/31/us/trump-deals-policy-conflicts-web.html

Thumbnail design: Seth Laupus
Audience development: Jen Walsh
Created by: Jack Stebbins, Henry Stockwell, and Dan Toomey

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Written by Good Work