Trump Meme Coins Soar To $74 After Launch, Now Selling For $1.68, And He’s Still With Over $600 Million.
IAN MAULE / AFP via Getty Images
By Jerome London
This disclosure is 927 pages long and reveals how quickly the money flowed. World Liberty Financial raised more than $500 million in the sale of “management tokens,” which regulators warned had no ownership stake and were difficult to call. Buyers come anyway.
One of them, Chinese billionaire Justin Sun, spent $75 million on tokens and $200 million on commemorative coins. A federal lawsuit accusing him of defrauding investors was suspended, and a $10 million fine was paid. Sun says that his use of money had nothing to do with this case.
Since trading began in September, World Liberty tokens have fallen by 80%. Commemorative coins fell sharply.
The filing shows income, not profit, so it doesn’t reveal what Trump actually pocketed after expenses, taxes, or the tokens the family still holds. Those numbers have changed significantly in value and the broader crypto market.
Crypto wasn’t the only driver. Trump has taken tens of millions from new hotel, resort, and condo deals overseas, the largest real estate expansion in the family’s century-old business history. The UAE location made $10.4 million. One in Saudi Arabia sent his company $9 million. Deals in Romania and Qatar brought in $5 million each. Most of those countries were negotiating with the US over tariffs, military aid, or access to technology at the same time. Mar-a-Lago alone brought in $77 million, a 50% jump from the year before he returned to office.
Trump took office last year and reversed the Biden administration’s strong stance on crypto before its products hit the market. Supporters say the change fulfilled a campaign promise and helped American industry that had been driven offshore. Critics say the president is writing the rules of the market that he personally benefits from. Forbes puts his net worth at $6 billion, up from $2.3 billion by 2024.
The White House says his sons run the business through a trust and don’t play a role in its decisions, the advice of ethics lawyers more liberal than the blind independent optimism used by recent presidents. “The President or his family have never engaged, nor will they engage, in a conflict of interest,” spokeswoman Anna Kelly said. “Every action by President Trump and his administration is done in the best interest of the American people.”
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