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Meme coins are typically dismissed as internet jokes with no real value, but the Trump family is leveraging one such coin—$TRUMP—into a powerful political and financial tool. Since its launch earlier this year, the Trump-themed cryptocurrency has generated over $320 million in fees, according to blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis. The coin's popularity surged further after Trump promoted a dinner event scheduled for May 22 at his Washington-area golf club. Access is based on how many $TRUMP coins a user holds. Crypto for a Seat at the Table According to the contest rules: The top 220 coin holders will be invited to dinner with Trump. The top 25 will also gain access to a pre-dinner reception with the former president. “Let the President know how many $TRUMP coins YOU own!” the coin’s website urges. Following the announcement, both trading volume and the coin’s price spiked, rising from $9 to $14 before settling around $11. How the Trumps Profit Without Selling Coins The $TRUMP coin is traded on decentralized exchanges (DEXs), which use liquidity pools to facilitate trades. When the coin launched, 20% of the total 1 billion coins were released—half for public sale, and half into a liquidity pool. Through this setup, CIC Digital, a Trump Organization affiliate, earns a share of trading fees on every coin exchange. These fees, although tiny per transaction, have added up rapidly. In the week following the dinner announcement, Chainalysis reported over $1.3 million in trading fees alone. As Nicolai Søndergaard of blockchain analytics firm Nansen explained, “The price doesn’t matter—what matters is constant trading volume, because more trades mean more fees.” Trump Downplays Profit Motives Despite the windfall, Trump has brushed off concerns over financial gain. In an interview with Meet the Press, he denied tracking the coin’s value and dismissed the notion that he should forgo any crypto profits. “Should I contribute all of my real estate... if it goes up a little bit because I’m president and doing a good job? I don’t think so,” he said. High-Stakes Promotion and Luxury Prizes The Trump coin team is aggressively marketing the May 22 dinner: Last week, they launched a meme contest, promising one additional dinner spot to the creator of Trump’s favorite meme. The top four holders will also receive Trump-branded watches valued at $100,000 each. Opaque Access and Ethics Concerns While Trump is also hosting a “Crypto & AI Innovators” dinner at the same venue—with a $1.5 million per-person price tag via his super PAC—there’s no requirement to disclose who buys their way into the meme coin event. That anonymity has drawn criticism. Unlike political donations, crypto holdings and transactions are not subject to public disclosure, raising concerns about undue influence from anonymous or foreign actors. Even though registrants must provide real names and contact info, the $TRUMP leaderboard displays only usernames. Eligibility is based not just on the number of coins held, but also the duration of ownership. For those just outside the top 220, the site leaves a message: You're so close. FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT for your $TRUMP dinner.
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