Donald Trump Gets Richer, Wealth Rises to Rp111 Trillion in Two Years
Since taking office as the President of the United States for his second term, Donald Trump has captured global attention. His policies have sparked controversy and shaken the global economy.
Behind this, the net worth of the US President Donald Trump has skyrocketed over the past two years. Citing Forbes 2026 data, the wealth of the leader of the land of Uncle Sam has reached US$6.5 billion or Rp110.63 trillion (exchange rate Rp17,020).
The most significant surge occurred from 2025 to 2026, when Trump’s wealth jumped from around US$5.1 billion to US$6.5 billion. This increase is the largest in the past nine years since 2017.
Recorded since 2017, the tycoon’s wealth was around US$3.5 billion, then gradually declined to a low point in 2020 of US$2.1 billion.
After that, there was a recovery in 2021 to US$2.4 billion and around US$3 billion in 2022. However, the trend weakened again in 2023 and 2024, dropping to around US$2.3-2.5 billion.
For information, Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 47th President of the US to serve the next four years. This is his second term after holding the same position from 2016-2020 alongside Vice President Mike Pence.
Trump is the first and only US President with a business background. Like other entrepreneurs, he always claims his current success comes from his own hard work. However, historical facts tell a different story. The secret to Donald Trump’s success and immense wealth lies in his family inheritance.
Rich from Grandfather and Father’s Money
The company that generates Trump’s wealth is The Trump Organization LLC. The Trump Organization has business tentacles across sectors. From hospitality, golf courses, real estate, and various other properties. All spread across the world.
Nevertheless, Trump is not the founder of the wealth, but rather his grandfather Friedrich Trump who started all of the Trump business activities. Friedrich Trump was a German immigrant who came to the United States to seek his fortune.
During his time in Germany, Friedrich lived in poverty. From his teenage years, he had to work and take on the role of head of the family after his father died. Initially, he worked as a farmer in a vineyard.
Gradually, he switched professions to become a barber before finally moving to the US, specifically New York, in 1883. In his autobiography The Art of the Deal (1987), Trump mentions that his grandfather’s move to the US was driven by the vision of the “American Dream” that was popular at the time.
Upon arrival, Friedrich worked again as a barber. Then, six years later, he started his own barber and restaurant business with a capital of US$600. From there, his economy began to improve.
The turning point in Friedrich’s business came when he bought vacant land in 1893. Later, the vacant land would be used for a restaurant and hotel that could accommodate gold miners in Washington.
With a capital of US$125, the property project began. According to Gwenda Blair in The Trumps: Three Generations of Builders and A Presidential Candidate (2000), the restaurant and property business became the foundation of wealth and success that would benefit Friedrich’s descendants, including his grandson Donald Trump.
From the initial property in Washington, Friedrich’s business expanded to many cities and even abroad. At the peak of his success, the man born in 1869 amassed US$588,000. Unfortunately, Friedrich’s life was not long. In 1919, or at the age of 50, he passed away.
When he died, the business empire fell into the hands of his son, Frederick Trump. Like his father, Frederick also enjoyed the property business. He consolidated his father’s various inherited companies under the banner of E. Trump & Son. There, he not only did property business but also supermarkets and amusement parks.
Thanks to the inheritance and business acumen, Frederick was crowned one of the richest people in the world. When he died in 1999, the entire business empire fell into the hands of his son and the Trump family generation at that time, namely Donald Trump.
At this point, the accumulation of all that made Trump’s wealth increase. He lived comfortably because he did not start his career and business from zero. Finally, he also achieved the status of one of the richest people in the world like his grandfather and father.
With that wealth, Donald Trump’s name rose to prominence. Popularity in the business world, which then spread to entertainment, gradually brought him into the realm of politics. History then records Donald Trump as the first billionaire-backed US President in the country’s history.