As of July 2025, Donald Trump’s crypto ventures, including the $TRUMP memecoin, World Liberty Financial (WLF), and NFT collections, have added $620 million to his net worth, per Bloomberg, representing 9% of his $6.4 billion fortune. Launched just before his January 2025 inauguration, the $TRUMP memecoin, hosted on Solana, saw a $27 billion market cap peak within a day, with Trump-controlled entities holding 800 million of the 1 billion tokens. WLF, a DeFi platform led by Trump’s sons Eric and Donald Jr., raised $590 million, including $390 million from token sales and $100 million from a $2 billion Binance investment via its USD1 stablecoin.
Trump’s family, including Eric, Donald Jr., and Ivanka, drives these ventures, with allies like Bill Zanker and Justin Sun shaping projects like $TRUMP, $MELANIA, and a planned crypto game akin to Monopoly. The $TRUMP token, peaking at $77.26, now trades at $8.72, down 86%, with $320 million in fees earned but 813,294 retail investors losing $2 billion. $MELANIA slumped 97% to $0.33, with insiders cashing out $4.5 million. Despite volatility, trading volumes ($178.3M daily for $TRUMP) reflect hype, though lacking DeFi utility.
Trump’s ventures, including American Bitcoin (20% stake by his sons) and NFT sales netting $8 million, leverage his brand and presidency, raising $148 million via events like a May 2025 golf club dinner for top $TRUMP holders. Critics, including Democrats and ethics experts like Richard Briffault, label this “unprecedented corruption,” citing conflicts of interest as Trump deregulates crypto, pausing SEC probes and appointing allies like Paul Atkins. Republicans are not in favor of a Senate plan that would stop such actions.
Trump’s push for deregulation, including SEC’s February 2025 memecoin exemption, fuels his ventures but risks market manipulation, with 98% of pump.fun memecoins flagged as rug pulls. Historical celebrity tokens (e.g., Logan Paul’s) show similar boom-bust cycles. Trump’s influence could drive crypto adoption but invites scrutiny over foreign investments (e.g., Justin Sun’s $18.6M $TRUMP stake) and emoluments clause violations. The Genius Act, nearing Senate passage, may further loosen stablecoin rules, potentially benefiting WLF’s USD1.
