Money Grab/Charge for access to the president
Top $TRUMP memecoin holders pay to dine with the president
Roughly 220 of the biggest holders of $TRUMP, the president’s personal memecoin, spent a collective $148 million on the token to win seats at a private dinner with Trump at his Virginia golf club in May 2025. Most were anonymous and many were overseas.
What happened
$TRUMP is a memecoin launched under the president’s name three days before his inauguration. Entities tied to the Trump family and their partners control most of the supply and earn trading fees. In April 2025 the coin’s promoters announced that the top holders would be invited to a private dinner with Trump, and the price jumped more than 60 percent in a day.
About 220 holders qualified, and the crypto intelligence firm Inca Digital estimated they spent $148 million buying the token to secure their seats. The top 25, who got a separate VIP reception, spent more than $111 million. CNBC’s review of the wallets found most of the top holders were anonymous and most appeared to be outside the United States.
The dinner was held on May 22, 2025, at Trump National Golf Club outside Washington. Justin Sun, the Tron founder, said he was the top holder. He had already put $75 million into the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial and faced a pending SEC fraud case. Chainalysis reported that more than $320 million in trading fees had gone to wallets tied to the coin’s creators.
Who benefited
Trump and the entities behind $TRUMP earn fees on every trade and profit when demand for the coin rises. The coin rose more than 60 percent the day the dinner was announced.
Who wanted something
The buyers are mostly unknown by design, and many were abroad. The one who identified himself, Justin Sun, had a pending SEC fraud case and $75 million already invested in the Trump family’s crypto venture.
Who lost out
You did. Campaign-finance rules set limits, require disclosure and bar foreign money so the public can see who pays for access to a president. Buying his coin goes around all three.
Why it matters
Buying a president’s personal cryptocurrency to get a seat at his table is paid access with no disclosure. Most of the money was anonymous and much of it was foreign. Nothing here is counted as cash to Trump; it is logged as a gift-in-kind, since the holders bought a token rather than paying him.
Sources CNNCNBC (via NBC Los Angeles)The InterceptMalay Mail (AFP)