Hours before polls closed on Election Day, Donald Trump’s social media company reported a bleak financial update: It had lost $363 million in the first nine months of 2024 on just $2.6 million of sales.
Less than 12 hours later, as it became clear the former president was heading back to the White House in a resounding win, the shares soared 60%, adding an instant $2.4 billion to Trump’s paper wealth.
Markets have always moved in anticipation of who’s going to be in power in Washington. But there’s never been a more clear-cut way to put a value on the US presidency itself than by looking at Trump’s personal fortune, estimated at $6.7 billion by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Trump’s victory will bolster an empire that spans media, real estate and crypto, and which to a large extent relies on his image, his brand, and most of all, his political power. Coupled with an ability now to impede the multiple legal entanglements that threatened his business and his freedom, the outlook for his many ventures has never been brighter.
Among the presidency’s benefits, the bully pulpit will likely create a huge advantage in tough negotiations regarding some of his real estate assets. Property experts have said Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Palm Beach club, is worth more because of his position at the center of Republican politics. And that’s to say nothing of investors — American or otherwise — who might seek to partner with him as a way of getting access to the White House.
“Maybe he’ll be worth $100 billion — I don’t know, he’ll figure it out, he really will,” said Louise Sunshine, a former Trump Organization executive vice president who helped develop Trump Tower. “He’s going to be richer and more powerful than ever.”