The Record  Trump’s second term, documented
Enriching himself and his family

He and Melania launched memecoins days before his inauguration, and hundreds of thousands of small buyers lost money while the family took the fees.

January 17, 2025His own side confirms

On January 17 and 19, 2025, days before he was sworn in, he and Melania launched “memecoins,” $TRUMP and $MELANIA, with the family’s own firms controlling most of the supply. On-chain analysis found that hundreds of thousands of small wallets lost money as the coins collapsed, while the family’s companies collected hundreds of millions of dollars in trading fees, a direct transfer from ordinary buyers to the president’s family. He then made access to himself the prize: the top 220 holders of $TRUMP were invited to a private dinner with him and the top 25 to a White House tour, so buying the coin bought time with the president. Blockchain researchers later estimated total retail losses in the billions.

SourcesThe on-chain data: small holders lost, the family’s firms profited (CoinDesk) · The dinner for top holders (ABC7) · Total retail losses (Yahoo Finance / CryptoRank)

He and Melania launched memecoins days before his inauguration, and hundreds of thousands of small buyers lost money while the family took the fees.
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A crypto firm under federal investigation donated $11 million to his political committees and hired a lobbyist close to him. The investigation was dropped, and the firm then poured about $1 billion into a venture with his own company.One of the biggest known buyers of his family's crypto was a man under an active money-laundering investigation.His own company began selling hedge funds the fastest access to his market-moving posts for up to $100,000 a month, and he profits from every subscription.

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