Trump’s personal crypto profits are no coincidence

By: thestreet|2025/05/07 23:30:02
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There’s no longer any question: President Donald Trump and his family are profiting from cryptocurrency ventures while he holds the highest office in the country. The numbers speak for themselves.The Trump family’s net worth has ballooned by $2.9 billion in just six months, with nearly 40% of that now tied to crypto assets. These include meme coins like $TRUMP and $MELANIA and a controlling stake in World Liberty Financial (WLF), a decentralized exchange launched during his second run for office.Trump-linked crypto firm lands $2B deal amid ethics concernsThe ethical red flags are hard to miss. WLF has received a $2 billion boost from an Emirati-backed investment fund, MGX, which plans to use the Trump-affiliated USD1 stablecoin to complete a major deal with Binance. A Trump-linked group owns 60 percent of WLF, 22.5 billion $WLF tokens, and receives 75 percent of future token revenue. The Trump family is not just gaining on paper. They can earn real money from trading fees and private deals.The appearance of impropriety isn’t just theoretical. Since Trump took office again, the administration has paused multiple SEC investigations into crypto firms. The timing of these rollbacks coincides eerily with a surge in the price of $TRUMP and the sudden dismissal of legal action against WLF investor Justin Sun. Sun dumped $75 million into WLF just before the inauguration, and a month later, the SEC called for a pause in his fraud case.TRUMP coin buyers promised White House accessLet’s not forget the $TRUMP coin “dinner.” The top 220 coin holders are being promised a reception, dinner, and White House tour with special access for the top 25. This isn’t just tacky, it’s a direct sale of proximity to the president. The more $TRUMP you buy, the closer you get. The token's value surged over 50% after this announcement, meaning Trump himself, whose business holds a massive portion of the coin, profited from his promise of access. If this isn’t textbook corruption, what is?Trump’s crypto ties demand transparencyTo be clear, Trump is not subject to criminal conflict-of-interest laws. But he is subject to the Ethics in Government Act, which requires asset disclosures. His next report is due May 15. In my opinion, Americans deserve full transparency.Supporters, like CoinFund president Chris Perkins, have dismissed criticism as political posturing. “If we’re banning stablecoins because Trump has a project, we might as well ban real estate too,” he said. But that argument misses the point. This isn’t about disliking Trump’s business ventures. It’s about the unprecedented scale of overlap between presidential power and personal financial gain, particularly in a market as opaque as crypto.Senator Elizabeth Warren put it bluntly, “The Senate shouldn’t pass a crypto bill this week to facilitate this kind of corruption.”The integrity of crypto markets and American democracy is at stake. If Congress proceeds with digital asset legislation while the sitting president and his family are poised to benefit, it undermines faith in both institutions. The crypto industry should want regulation, but not one written under the shadow of a $2 billion foreign-backed deal with the president’s family.Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of TheStreet Crypto. This piece is for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial or investment advice.

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