Washington, 03 July (H.S.):

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday defended his family's business activities, saying his children had been involved in business long before he returned to the presidency and have had to endure intense public scrutiny. He argued that because of the power associated with the presidency, almost anything his children do is viewed as a potential conflict of interest.

Trump's remarks came after the release of his 2025 Annual Financial Disclosure Report on Tuesday, which showed that he earned more than $580 million in 2025 from a cryptocurrency venture linked to his family during his first year back in the White House.

Speaking in an interview with CNBC from the Oval Office, Trump also addressed a range of other domestic and international issues.

He said presidential policies affect nearly every sector of the economy and added that his children have lives and careers of their own. Trump maintained that there was nothing illegal or improper about the family's cryptocurrency venture.

Referring to U.S. federal conflict-of-interest laws, Trump noted that the President and Vice President are not legally required to recuse themselves from decisions that could affect their personal financial interests. During the interview, he also discussed the U.S. Supreme Court, the economy, financial markets, Iran, the Federal Reserve and the 2026 midterm elections.

Asked to name his favourite American president or identify the most significant period in U.S. history, Trump said, We've had some very bad presidents. He then referred to a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that has been widely viewed as strengthening presidential authority by allowing the Commander-in-Chief to remove members of certain independent federal agencies operating within the executive branch.

Trump said, The ruling gave the presidency much greater power, but it has always been a strong office. Not just during my tenure. It has long been regarded as the most powerful office in the world. Presidents in other countries are generally not considered as powerful.

He added, As a nation, we are respected again. Perhaps we've never been respected this much before. A year and a half ago, people were laughing at us.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar