GoKawiilThe next Donald Trump memecoin event could very well be the last.
If Democrats retake control of Congress this fall, they may succeed in quickly passing legislation banning the president and his family from profiting from the shady token that has deeply disturbed government ethicists.
Trump launched his official memecoin before his inauguration in January 2025, becoming the first president to release his own cryptocurrency. Since then, Trump’s family has reportedly made more than $280 million, while the memecoin’s value has tanked.
Insiders explicitly linked to Trump affiliates who hold most of the tokens haven’t been harmed; they have cashed out at key moments, collected fees on every retail trade, and earned profits exceeding $600 million. But retail investors buying into the politicized token have lost more than $4.3 billion, CryptoRank reported in a widely shared analysis.
Initially priced at $28.73, the tokens are worth substantially less today, losing about 93 percent of their value from their peak. The Melania Trump memecoin, launched at the same time, is the bigger failure, with a 99 percent loss from its peak price.
The true value for people hoarding the Trump memecoins isn’t gains, though—it’s the chance to score an invite to exclusive Trump-hosted events if they’re among the top 200 to 300 holders.
Investors competing to buy tokens and top leaderboards have caused the price to spike twice since trading began on Solana and TRON blockchains. Last year, the announcement of a Mar-a-Lago dinner where Trump reportedly made a very brief appearance drove the price to $45.50, its highest peak. After the dinner ended, the price dropped to an all-time low of $2.71 and hasn’t recovered much since. Apart from a brief 60 percent spike in price after last month’s announcement of a second Mar-a-Lago event—a cryptocurrency conference and gala scheduled for April 25—the price has largely stuck under $3, where it remains as of this writing.