President Donald Trump defended his family's business dealings in an interview Thursday with CNBC's Joe Kernen in the Oval Office at the White House . Trump said the presidency is so powerful that almost anything his children do could be considered a conflict . "If they buy an energy efficient truck, they have inside information," Trump said, while arguing that his children face unusually broad scrutiny because presidential policy touches nearly every part of the economy. "I tell my kids, 'stay away,'" Trump said. "But they also have a life. You know, they were doing business long before I ever thought of running for president." The comments came after Trump's 2025 annual financial disclosure report released Tuesday revealed that he made hundreds of millions of dollars in 2025, his first year back in the White House, from cryptocurrency-related ventures linked to his family. The disclosure showed more than $580 million in crypto-related income, including about $515 million from Trump-linked World Liberty Financial token sales and $65 million from sales of equity in WLF's holding company. Trump said there was "nothing illegal" or "wrong" with the crypto venture and pointed to federal conflict-of-interest laws , saying the president and vice president are not required to recuse themselves from decisions that could affect their financial interests. Trump spoke about a wide of topics, also touching on the Supreme Court, economy, markets, Iran , the Federal Reserve and the 2026 midterm elections . Read the transcript of the interview . When asked to name either his favorite U.S. president, or if he considers any period of American history to be especially formative, Trump said, "We've had some very bad presidents." He then referenced a recent Supreme Court ruling that was seen as empowering the presidency by allowing the commander in chief to remove members of independent federal agencies that carry out functions under the executive branch. "It gave a lot more power to the president, but it has been a strong presidency, not just me, it's been a strong presidency. It's considered a strong office," Trump said. "You know, other presidents are not considered a strong office, even if you're president, you can't do as much," he said, appearing to be referring to other countries' presidents. "But now with this additional I mean, it's very special. We are respected again as a country, maybe like never before. A year and a half ago, we were laughed at. They're not laughing anymore," he said. Former special counsel Jack Smith , who prosecuted President Donald Trump in two separate criminal cases between his first and second White House terms, said the U.S. is currently "facing an attack on the rule of law ." Smith told Nicolle Wallace on MS NOW's "Deadline: White House" that "it angers me" to see career officials at the Department of Justice be "demonized" by the Trump administration for their work on cases that are seen as hostile to the president and his allies. Smith also said that a potential indictment...
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