By Virginia Kase Solomón and Abigail Bellows
In 2025, President Trump made $2.2 billion while in office.
Yes: $2.2 billion. That’s 25,000 times higher than the U.S. median household income.
While Trump was making $2.2 billion in office from various get-rich-quick schemes, ranging from crypto ventures and stock trades to selling insider information on Truth Social, everyday Americans were struggling. Gas, groceries, rent, healthcare — everything costs more.
People are fed up that the president is profiting off his office while they struggle to make ends meet. Across the political spectrum, a majority of Americans believe Trump is prioritizing his personal business interests “a lot” — more than double the number who thinks he is putting the needs of the country first.
Trump may be the one profiting from the presidency now, but the problem won’t stop when he leaves office. He’s shattered norms and opened the doors for a future White House occupant of any party to prioritize profit over the people if no guardrails are put in place.
This is no way for our democracy to function. But there is a solution.
Congress can pass a law banning the president and vice president from receiving any outside income while in office. Presidents would make their official salary — and that’s it. No side hustles.
It’s a good idea, but how do we turn it into law? We elect a Congress that will take on corruption in all its forms.
So Common Cause posed a simple question to candidates of all parties in highly competitive midterm races: If elected, will you support a ban on presidents profiting from outside business ventures while in office?
The results are still coming in, but Democratic candidates in the U.S. Senate race in Maine (Troy Jackson) and U.S. House races in Michigan’s7th (William Lawrence) and Colorado’s 5th (Jessica Killin) and 8th (Manny Rutinel) have already committed to supporting a presidential profiteering ban.
We’ve seen candidates from both parties talk about corruption on the campaign trail. But talking is one thing; signing a pledge and holding yourself accountable is another. It’s stronger and more meaningful.
Corruption isn’t a partisan issue, and stopping it won’t happen by sitting on the sidelines. We need a collective movement of voters to demand accountability from every candidate seeking to represent us. Our goal is for every single candidate running for Congress to sign this pledge.
We can take action together. Bring this pledge to local candidate forums, town halls, or rallies. Mobilize your network, your neighbors, friends, and local community groups, and ask candidates directly where they stand on banning presidential self-dealing.
Concrete solutions — like a total ban on presidential profiteering — give us a clear tool to separate candidates who are serious about fighting corruption from those just looking for a cheap electoral boost.
We know a presidential profiteering ban won’t fix everything overnight. But when presidents use their public office to line their own pockets, working families pay the price. Every hour a president spends managing private business deals is time that could have been spent addressing skyrocketing costs. Banning presidential profiteering ensures our leaders remain focused on the American people’s priorities — lowering costs, improving public services, and building an economy that works for everyone, not just the wealthy. It offers hope and accountability, helping return power to the people and ensuring our elected officials actually work for us, not their pocketbooks.
The presidency should be a position of public service — not a business opportunity.
Tell your Congressional candidates: take our pledge today.
Virginia Kase Solomón is president and CEO of Common Cause and a nationally recognized leader in the fight for social justice, civil rights, and a more inclusive democracy. Abigail Bellows is senior policy director for anti-corruption and accountability at Common Cause, and previously served as director for anti-corruption on the National Security Council staff.
