concept Updated 2026-07-16 Tags: Politics, Accounting, Ethics, Governance

Office-Linked Profit Accounting

Office-linked profit accounting is the method used in How much money President Trump and his family have made to estimate private gain that likely depends on holding public office. David Kirkpatrick says he excludes ordinary preexisting business income and counts only money or benefits that seem unlikely to have materialized without Donald Trump being president.

Key Claims

  • The method is attribution-based rather than a full net-worth calculation.
  • It can include family-member gains when the source argues the family opportunity depends on presidential status.
  • Conservative accounting can still produce a large number if many categories each convert office proximity into private value.
  • The method remains judgment-heavy because it asks what would have happened without the presidency.

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