Rubio 'Didn't Even Know' About Trump's Upcoming Memecoin Dinner Involving Foreign Guests: 'This is the First I've Heard of It'
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio listens as he testifies at a Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Hearings to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2026 for the Department of State at Capitol Hill in Washington, DC on May 20, 2025.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified at a Senate hearing Tuesday where he claimed he "didn't even know" about an exclusive dinner President Donald Trump is hosting this week for the top 220 holders of his memecoin.
Many of the top 200 holders of TrumpCoin are foreign nationals, according to a Bloomberg report, raising concerns about potential national security implications and foreign influence.
When questioned by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Rubio claimed it was the first he heard of the event. "I didn't even know there was a dinner Thursday night," he said. "So I'm not sure what you're referring to."
MURPHY: Let me ask you about the dinner that's happening this Thursday. The president has offered access to him to the 200 top purchasers of his memecoin. Maybe about half or more of those individuals who will be meeting with him are foreigners. Do you have a list?
RUBIO: I... pic.twitter.com/bMYQokyaQI — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 20, 2025
Murphy pressed on: "So you don't know whether any of the foreign individuals who are going to be meeting with the president this Thursday are on our sanctioned list or have connections to, let's say, terrorist organizations abroad?"
Rubio deflected, stating that if such individuals had links to terrorism, the Department of Homeland Security likely wouldn't have admitted them into the country. "You're asking me about something I don't know about. I can't answer you because I don't know anything about this dinner."
"That in and of itself is a problem," Murphy said, suggesting the event could allow wealthy foreign individuals to bypass normal diplomatic channels and gain direct access to the U.S. president.
Rubio dismissed the concerns, calling it "not unusual" for the president to have friendships or meetings with private individuals, foreign or domestic. "I don't have any concern that the president having dinner with someone is going to contravene the national security of the United States." People walk past a cryptocurrency exchange office with a screen featuring US President Donald Trump holding cryptocurrency coins in Hong Kong on March 12, 2025.
Trump's involvement in crypto has come under increased scrutiny during his second term, which he and First Lady Melania Trump kicked off with the release of their own memecoins. In March, Trump signed an executive order establishing a "Crypto Strategic Reserve." Additionally, the president and his sons hold the owning stake of World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency firm that is set to receive a $2 billion investment from Abu-Dhabi this year. The Trump Organization executive vice-president Eric Trump (R), World Liberty Financial co-founder Zach Witkoff, son to Steve Witkoff who serves as Trump's Special Envoy to the Middle East, (C) and Tron Justin Sun, a Chinese-born crypto billionaire (L), participate in a session during the Token 2049 crypto conference in Dubai on May 1, 2025.
According to a report from State Democracy Defenders Action, the Trump family has profited $2.9 billion from cryptocurrency during the past six months alone.
The White House maintains that the Trump Organization is managed by Trump's sons and its business ventures and investments create no conflicts of interest for the president. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed concerns prior to Trump's tour of the Middle East, which centered on business deals.
"I think it's frankly ridiculous that anyone in this room would even suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit," she said.
Originally published on Latin Times
© Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Int'l Business Times
an hour ago
- Int'l Business Times
Libertarian Party Tells Trump to 'Stop Blocking the MAGA Agenda' as They Pile Onto Musk Calling Out Deficit Problem
Various social media accounts affiliated with the National Libertarian Party have taken to social media to call out President Donald Trump for obstructing the MAGA agenda, siding with billionaire Elon Musk in the developing feud between two of the world's most powerful men. The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire took to X (formerly Twitter) to share this sentiment with their audience on Thursday. "Donald Trump needs to stop blocking the MAGA agenda," they wrote. Donald Trump needs to stop blocking the MAGA agenda. — Libertarian Party NH 🦔 (@LPNH) June 5, 2025 The Libertarian Party of Mississippi reposted a collage of a variety of old posts from Trump in which he advocates against raising the debt ceiling under President Obama's second administration. "Imagine saying this previously, and now calling someone else a grandstander..." they captioned the post. They also posted a reaction to Musk calling Trump's "one big, beautiful bill" a "disgusting abomination." "No lies detected. The BBB is another big government spending bill that significantly adds to the already unsustainable debt as well as expanding government surveillance on American citizens," they wrote. — Libertarian Party of Mississippi (@LPMississippi) June 3, 2025 The account representing the National Libertarian Party also chimed into the discussion, posting a screenshot of an article from 2016 in which Trump claims that he will eliminate the nation's debt in 8 years. "Receipts," they captioned the post. Social media users sounded off in the replies to the posts, criticizing Trump's recent actions and demonstrating support for the Party's sentiments. "Totally agree, gotta stay vigilant!" wrote one user. Totally agree, gotta stay vigilant! 😊 — Sierra Luxe (@sierra_luxe) June 3, 2025 "Trump has no fiscal restraint," said another. Trump has no fiscal restraint — Anti-DEI Propaganda (@propaganda_only) June 5, 2025 "Trump Method of eliminating debt: Dissolve the United States. Renounce all debt. Throw gasoline everywhere and set the entire country on fire. Good luck getting your money back, losers, you bought USA bonds and now they're worthless, haha," wrote a third. Trump Method of eliminating debt: Dissolve the United States. Renounce all debt. Throw gasoline everywhere and set the entire country on fire. Good luck getting your money back, losers, you bought USA bonds and now they're worthless, haha. — justanyone (@justanyone) June 5, 2025 "I remember this and in the next 4 years he added to the national debt, and he will do it again," wrote a fourth. I remember this and in the next 4 years he added to the national debt, and he will do it again. — Fumetsu 達人 (@StormTorx) June 5, 2025 Originally published on Latin Times © Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
DW
2 hours ago
- DW
What does US President Donald Trump's new travel ban mean? – DW – 06/05/2025
From June 9, most nationals from 19 countries will not be allowed to enter the United States. What are the reasons and who is exempt? This time it is not a new executive order but a presidential proclamation that is causing a worldwide stir. The policy signed by US President Donald Trump on Wednesday is entitled "Restricting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats" and due to take effect on June 9. Like executive orders, presidential proclamations are one of the instruments with which a US president can implement the administration's will, particularly regarding national security and immigration. Unlike laws, these documents do not require the approval of Congress. However, they must be based on powers granted by law. In terms of content, Trump's new proclamation ties in with previous travel bans imposed during his first term as president, which the Supreme Court upheld in 2018. Which countries are affected? The proclamation bans entry to the US for all nationals from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen, regardless of their reasons for travel, unless the State Department deems their entry into the US to be in the national interest. In addition to these 12 countries, there are seven more whose nationals will face partial restrictions: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Stricter visa checks and restrictions will apply, but these will also be case-dependent. A wealthy businessperson might be allowed to enter, while tourists or students could face higher hurdles. Trump cites Boulder, Colorado attack In a video published on social media, Trump cited Sunday's attack in Boulder, Colorado, saying it "underscored the extreme dangers posed to our country by the entry of foreign nationals who are not properly vetted." He also said that nationals from certain countries posed "significant risks" of overstaying their visas. An Egyptian man has been charged with injuring several people when he hurled Molotov cocktails at a demonstration calling for the release of Hamas-held hostages in Gaza. According to the US Department of Homeland Security, he had overstayed his tourist visa. Egypt is not listed in Trump's newest proclamation. In the proclamation, the Republican president argues that the countries affected by the new travel ban do not provide enough information on their nationals to assess potential security risks. Some countries listed — Iran and Cuba, for example — the US designates as "State Sponsors of Terrorism." This new ban will tighten up already existing measures. The Trump administration has criticized the fact that some countries do not take back their nationals when the US requires them to leave. However, critics have speculated that the ban has political and economic reasons, pointing out that Saudi Arabia and other countries, with which the Trump family has close business ties, will not be affected. Donald Trump said that other countries could be added to the list in future Image: Leah Millis/REUTERS Who will be exempt from the new restrictions? • Green Card holders • Dual nationals with a US passport • Athletes and coaches participating in "major" competitions in the US • Afghan nationals, who worked for or on behalf of the US government or ISAF, with Special Immigrant Visas (SIV) • Iranian nationals with immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran • Foreign diplomats and representatives of international organizations on official visits to the US • Close relatives of US citizens (parents, children, spouses) • Adopted children of US citizens • Certain foreign national employees of the US government who have served abroad for at least 15 years • Those who were granted asylum or admitted to the US as refugees before the ban came into effect If not exempt, those nationals from the banned countries will no longer be able to enter the US from June 9 for business trips, educational travel or family visits. The decision is also likely to have economic repercussions. The poorer countries on the list in particular, such as Haiti and Yemen, have benefitted from trade ties with the US, as well as remittances sent by people living and working in the US. Human rights groups have slammed the travel ban as being racist and discriminatory, pointing out too that refugees and asylum-seekers from conflict regions will now lose access to protection programs in the US. Harvard students from China and Taiwan in limbo To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Harvard University targeted Trump also announced specific measures to block new foreign students from attending Harvard University, whom he accused of developing "extensive entanglements with foreign countries, including our adversaries" and flouting "the civil rights of its students and faculty." In his proclamation, he stated: "I have determined that it is necessary to restrict the entry of foreign nationals who seek to enter the United States solely or principally to participate in a course of study at Harvard University or in an exchange visitor program hosted by Harvard University. " Initially, entry to almost all foreign nationals seeking to study or participate in educational programs at Harvard will be suspended for six months. The suspension period could be extended. The US State Department will be directed to examine whether to revoke the existing visas of students at the university. In a statement, Harvard said this was " yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the administration in violation of Harvard's First Amendment rights." Earlier this year, Harvard President Alan Garber wrote that the university, which is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, would not "surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights." This article was translated from German.
DW
2 hours ago
- DW
Trump and Musk trade barbs as alliance ruptures – DW – 06/05/2025
Since Elon Musk left his role at DOGE, disagreement over a budget bill has spilled over. "Without me, Trump would have lost," he posted on X. The US president meanwhile, has threatened to cut Musk's government contracts. There's been a very public falling out recently between US President Donald Trump and his former adviser, Elon Musk. On Thursday, as the US president hosted German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office, Trump expressed his "disappointment" with the billionaire over his public criticism of Trump's tax and spending bill that is up for approval by the Senate. Trump-Musk relationship unravels Trump said he didn't know if his "great relationship" with Musk would remain the same after the billionaire slammed the bill on social media as "a disgusting abomination." "Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore. I was surprised," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. Trump claimed Musk's opposition was driven by the bill's elimination of EV tax credits, which would potentially hurt Tesla. Musk, however, has said he opposes the bill because it would increase federal deficits. Elon Musk sported a black eye he said came from his son as his time as special adviser President Trump wrapped up Image: Nathan Howard/REUTERS It wasn't long before Musk's followers on X began expressing themselves and Musk himself did not hesitate to make his feelings known as he launched a barrage of sniping posts. "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," Musk said in response to one post. "Such ingratitude," Musk said in a follow-up. Trump threatens to cut Musk's government contracts Not long after, Trump threatened to cut Musk's government contracts in a post on his Truth Social platform. "The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!" Trump said. "Elon was "wearing thin," Trump posted. "I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!" Trump wrote in another post. Musk spent at least $250 million backing Trump's bid to return to the White House and was tasked with heading up the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Just under a week ago, Trump gave Musk a sendoff in the Oval Office in which Musk appeared with a visible black eye, he said came from his young son. Edited by: Wesley Rahn
