2026-10-28 · contested story

Dear Leftists: Shut the Hell Up About Trump 'Profiting' From Politics (Stephen Kruiser/PJ Media)

The core story centers on President Trump's October 24, 2026 rally in Perry, Georgia, where—days before midterm elections and amid an eight-month war with Iran that spiked gas prices—he brushed off affordability concerns, declaring that his advisers told him not to mention oil profits but 'I don't give a damn, I'm going to say it: We're making a freaking fortune.' This collided with a new report from Democrats on the Congressional Joint Economic Committee showing Trump's personal oil and gas stock holdings had nearly doubled to as much as $81.6 million, with 94% of his 2026 industry stock purchases occurring after he launched the war. The Stephen Kruiser/PJ Media framing ('Shut the Hell Up About Trump Profiting') exists only as a shared headline link on X (Source 5)—it is pure commentary with no article body in the gathered sources.

How each side frames it

left
"Honestly, it really isn't surprising at this point to learn that President Donald Trump is making mad money off of his dumb war with Iran, because Trump doesn't do anything right now that doesn't line his pockets."
"Being president of the United States is by far the most lucrative business venture of Donald Trump's checkered business career... Trump has turned the American presidency into an extractive industry."
"He is, very intentionally, attempting to transform the very operating logic of the American political system: to replace a political order structured by rule of law to one where major decisions ultimately come down to whether you have the personal favor of the president."
"So when Trump says 'We're making a freaking fortune,' what he really means is that his policies are taking more than half a trillion dollars at an annual rate out of the pockets of ordinary Americans, and giving that money to the oil industry"
"In more proof that his brain is made of nothing but pudding now, while he is personally making huge cash off of the high prices of oil and gas, Trump is whining about how it is Iran's fault"
center
"the president's personal holdings in oil and gas are now worth between $22.5 million and $81.6 million, compared with $12.6 million to $46 million at the end of 2025, according to a new report by Democrats on the Congressional Joint Economic Committee."
""Neither President Trump nor any member of his family has any ability to direct, influence, or provide input regarding how the portfolio is invested or when investments are bought or sold," Ingle added. "All investment decisions are made entirely by independent managers. There are no conflicts of interest.""
"The statement is partially accurate but ignores important information, so we rate it Half True."
"It reflects the peak month only: exports have since fallen, they mix products priced differently, and the US still imports crude."
"The White House says Mr. Trump doesn't make trading decisions himself, and his money managers try to replicate major stock indices."
right
"The propaganda press quickly responded to the affordability measure by rerunning the long-debunked 'Trump is a Putin puppet' playbook."
""There's a perception, and there's reality," explained Moore... "The reality is what the numbers show — that median family income is up by about $1,200 this year, adjusted for inflation.""
"Trump and his family have enriched themselves in this second term in ways more similar to third-world regimes or Cook County than to any previous administration."
""He's selling expedited, privileged access to information about what he is doing as president," said Kathleen Clark... "It's yet more brazen corruption, an improper exploitation of government power to enrich himself.""
"It's quite the sales pitch: Be poor. Save democracy. Biden 2024."

What each side left out

The left left out — covered by the CBS News & PolitiFact & PBS NewsHour
The right left out — covered by the CBS News & Common Dreams & The Independent & Washington Post
The center left out — covered by the The New Republic & Vox & Ground News
The right left out — covered by the (only White House spokesman quotes within center coverage; no Right-media article)

What's actually true?

[verified] Trump said at a Perry, Georgia rally: 'I don't give a damn, I'm going to say it: We're making a freaking fortune,' after saying advisers told him not to mention oil profits.
[verified] A Congressional Joint Economic Committee (Democratic) report found Trump's oil and gas holdings are now worth between $22.5 million and $81.6 million, up from $12.6M–$46M at the end of 2025.
[verified] 94% of Trump's 2026 oil and gas stock purchases occurred after the Iran war began.
[verified] Americans have spent an additional $101 billion on gasoline since the Iran war began, averaging $856 more per family.
[verified] Trump made about $1.2–1.4 billion from crypto businesses in his first year back in office, per his 927-page financial disclosure.
[verified] The White House maintains Trump's portfolio is independently managed by third-party institutions via index-replicating model portfolios, with no conflicts of interest.
[verified] Trump Media & Technology Group sells early/high-speed access to Truth Social posts for $60,000–$100,000 a month, prompting a lawsuit calling it 'profoundly corrupt.'
[verified] An AP-NORC poll found about 6 in 10 U.S. adults believe Trump is profiting from the presidency in illegal or unethical ways.

The narrative clash

Who the 'we' making a fortune refers to
Left: The 'we' he's referring to here is himself, and his own family.
Right: Trump's stated interest — as it should be — is Americans struggling with rising fuel prices thanks to this seemingly never-ending war.
Whether Trump controls/benefits from his stock trades
Left: Those assets are still owned by Donald Trump, so, therefore, all the potential conflicts with them and all the money that comes with them still rolls back to Donald Trump.
Right: Neither President Trump nor any member of his family has any ability to direct, influence, or provide input regarding how the portfolio is invested or when investments are bought or sold. All investment decisions are made entirely by independent managers. There are no conflicts of interest.
Whether gas is cheaper now than under Obama/Biden
Left: Here's a quick fact check: In January 2017, gas was averaging $2.34 per gallon. And in January 2025 it was $3.10.
Right: Under Obama, the peak was $4.17 a gallon — which, if not adjusted for inflation, is less than the current $4.42 under Trump... However, a metric of how burdensome gasoline prices are for a household budget gives a different impression. Today, 10 gallons of gasoline a week accounts for a smaller share of income than it did in seven of eight years under Obama

91 sources analyzed

Daily Kos The Washington Post AzerNews Reason Charlie Kirk Vox CNN Ground News Reason Fox News The New Republic Steady | Dan Rather Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Reason Fox News The New Republic PBS NewsHour TradingView Reason Fox News MSNBC CNN Jalopnik RealClearMarkets The Federalist Vox PBS NewsHour Zeteo | Substack Richmond Times-Dispatch The Federalist Vox The Washington Post Eurasia Review New York Post Fox News The Daily Beast PBS NewsHour AOL.com New York Post The Federalist The New Republic The Washington Post Crypto Briefing New York Post The Federalist The New Republic CNN MS NOW New York Post Paul Krugman | Substack The New York Times KTIV The New Republic PBS NewsHour Raw Story Vox The Washington Post MoneyWise.com Jezebel Business Insider International Business Times UK Common Dreams CNN Modern Ghana MSNBC CBS News Juneau Independent WPXI UA.NEWS www.livingstonenterprise.net PolitiFact Indy100 Alaska Native News Breakingthenews.net The Mirror US 24/7 Wall St. Yahoo Finance Benzinga Facebook Blue Virginia Irish Star Yahoo News Singapore Newsweek صوت الإمارات Democracy Now! TOKENPOST WION VINnews Yahoo The Independent inkl

Perspectivity reads the coverage — not just who published it.

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