$TRUMP Memecoin Grift
Three days before inauguration, Trump launched the $TRUMP memecoin. It soared to $13 billion market cap then crashed, earning the Trump family $320M+ in fees while 764,000 investor wallets lost a combined $2 billion.
On January 17, 2025 — just three days before being inaugurated as President of the United States — Trump launched the $TRUMP cryptocurrency memecoin. The token soared to a market capitalization of roughly $13 billion before crashing.
The financial impact was stark in its asymmetry:
- The Trump family earned over $320 million in trading fees
- 764,000 individual investor wallets lost money, with combined losses totaling approximately $2 billion
- Trump family crypto income exceeded $800 million in the first half of 2025
- He later hosted a private dinner for top coin buyers, prompting bribery investigation demands
Former Trump aide Anthony Scaramucci described it as "Idi Amin level corruption." Thirty-five House Democrats demanded the Department of Justice investigate the arrangement for potential bribery violations — a sitting president selling access through cryptocurrency purchases.
The unprecedented nature of a president-elect launching a speculative financial product days before taking office, then hosting buyers at the White House, blurred every remaining line between the presidency and personal enrichment.