Trump-Linked Crypto Tokens Plunge, Drawing Political and Investor Criticism
Trump launched the TRUMP memecoin on January 17, 2025, three days before taking office as U.S. president. World Liberty Financial, co-founded by his family, issued the WLFI governance token. Both ventures tie the president’s public profile and policy influence to his family’s financial interests, prompting Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee to raise concerns about conflicts of interest and “pay-for-access” to the president. Investors have also criticized the projects for leaving retail buyers exposed to losses from falling prices.
The latest data from blockchain analytics firm Nansen showed that, as of the end of June 2026, 988,905 of the 1.48 million wallets that had bought TRUMP were in the red, with combined realized and unrealized losses of $3.81 billion. The token’s market capitalization had also fallen to about $425 million from a peak of nearly $15 billion in January 2025. WLFI dropped 12% to an all-time low of about $0.07 on April 10, 2026, renewing criticism over political corruption and value extraction.
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The history behind this eventTrump-Promoted Brand Blames ‘Bad Actors’ After GOLD Token Crashes 99%
Real Trump Coins, a collectibles brand previously promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump, became linked to Trump Digital GOLD, a Solana-based token marketed through its online presence. The association mattered because Trump’s name and the brand’s visibility could be interpreted by retail traders as an endorsement. The episode highlights the risks surrounding celebrity-linked crypto promotions, where questions over authorization and account control may emerge only after investors have bought in.
Trump Digital GOLD lost about 99% of its market value within hours of launching. Blockchain analytics platform Lookonchain said wallets linked to the team sold large quantities of GOLD, prompting crypto users to question the project’s legitimacy and whether the brand’s account had been compromised. Real Trump Coins later denied launching the token and blamed “bad actors” for the promotion. The reports did not specify an exact launch date, the dollar value sold by the wallets or total investor losses.
Trump-Linked AI Financial Eyes Payments Unit Sale as WLFI Token Plunges 70%
AI Financial, formerly Nasdaq-listed ALT5 Sigma, was originally focused on cryptocurrency payments and trading platforms. In August 2025, the company launched a $1.5 billion WLFI treasury strategy and acquired tokens issued by Trump family-backed World Liberty Financial. The transaction allowed the Trump family to cash out about $540 million and also sparked concerns over conflicts of interest and corporate governance.
The Wall Street Journal reported on July 7, 2026, that AI Financial was in talks with Tokyo blockchain company Perpetuals.com to sell its core payments subsidiary, ALT5 Sigma Canada, for as much as $15 million. Since the August 2025 transaction, the company’s shares have fallen more than 90%, while WLFI has plunged about 70% from its peak, underscoring the cost of its shift to a crypto-asset treasury strategy.
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