How Much Richer Is Warren Buffett Than Donald Trump?
Written by
Vance Cariaga
Edited by
Cory Dudak
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No matter how you define wealth, there’s no doubt that even rich people have vastly different degrees of it.
For example, Donald Trump was rich before he won a second term to the White House, and has grown that wealth even more since taking office. But you could still multiply his wealth by a factor of 28 and it wouldn’t be as big of a fortune as that of Warren Buffett.
How Much Richer Is Buffett?
Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and legendary “Oracle of Omaha,” has a net worth of $142.8 billion, according to the latest estimates from according to the latest estimated from Forbes. That ranks him as the ninth richest person in the world. The richest, Elon Musk, has a net worth of $413.8 billion.
In contrast, Forbes pegs Trump’s net worth at $5.7 billion — which places him as the 755th richest person in the world.
Trump and Buffett are both rich under just about any definition. To put their net worths in perspective, consider this: Michael Dell ranks as the 11th richest person in the world with a net worth of $128.2 billion. But if Trump could magically add Dell’s wealth to his own, it still would fall well short of Buffett.
Buffett’s Road to Riches
One reason Buffett is so much richer than Trump is he has spent decades as one of the world’s savviest investors, building Berkshire Hathaway into a financial powerhouse whose biggest holdings include iconic brands such as Apple, Coca Cola, Bank of America and Chevron.
The 94-year-old plans to step down as Berkshire CEO at the end of the year, but will remain as chairman.
Buffett came from a fairly modest background in Nebraska, and got bitten by the investment bug early, buying his first stock at age 11, Forbes reported. One thing he learned is that stocks can be a sure path to wealth — if you follow the right investment strategy.
In Buffett’s case, that strategy includes investing for the long term, putting money only into companies and businesses he understands, and focusing on value stocks rather than high flyers.
Trump’s Road to Riches
Trump made most of his money in real estate — a business that he learned from his father, Fred, a millionaire real estate developer in New York City.
According to a Forbes analysis of Trump’s wealth, he first became a billionaire in 1988. He dropped off Forbes’ billionaire list from 1990 to1996, but returned in 1997 and has been on it ever since.
Here’s a look at Trump’s net worth since returning to billionaire status in 1997:
- 1997: $1.4 billion
- 2000: $1.7 billion
- 2005: $2.7 billion
- 2010: $2.4 billion
- 2015: $4.5 billion
- 2020: $2.5 billion
- 2025 (latest estimate): $5.7 billion
As the above chart shows, Trump’s net worth has reached its highest point ever since he began his second term in the White House. According to Forbes, he has presided over the “most lucrative post-presidency in American history, selling his supporters NFTs, coffee-table books and, most importantly, shares of a money-losing social-media venture.”
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