Latest news with #OfficialTrump
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump Gala Dinner Saw President Wine And Dine Top Memecoin Holders As Protestors Flashed 'Don The Con' Signs — Exclusive
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Amid protests and ethical concerns, President Donald Trump hosted a private dinner for the top buyers of his Official Trump (CRYPTO: TRUMP) memecoin on Thursday. What happened: Trump landed at his private golf club near Washington, D.C., via helicopter to spend the evening with his VIP guests, including cryptocurrency millionaire and Tron (CRYPTO: TRX) founder Justin Sun, the meme coin's top holder. In a series of visuals shared with Benzinga by another invitee, Morten Christensen, founder of Trump can be seen addressing his guests, with an elegant indoor dining setup, complete with wine glasses, cutlery, and a menu card, in the background. Trending: — no wallets, just price speculation and free paper trading to practice different strategies. Source: Morten Christensen The pictures also showed protesters outside the arena holding placards with phrases such as 'Democracy Not Kleptocracy' and 'Don The Con." Source: Morten Christensen While the top 220 holders dined with Trump at the club, the top 25 holders have been promised access to a VIP reception and White House tour, as well as limited-edition commemorative non-fungible tokens. Source: Morten Christensen Sun said on X that he was awarded a Trump Golden Tourbillon watch by the POTUS. Why It Matters: The controversy surrounding the dinner has been escalating since it was announced last month. Democrats and even some pro-Trump crypto enthusiasts have voiced concerns about potential conflicts of interest and the possibility of shadowy buyers gaining access to Trump through such events. Trump has refuted claims that he is financially benefiting from the venture. Christensen secured a spot at the exclusive dinner by paying just $1,200. His strategy involved buying the Trump memecoin and shorting the exact same amount, resulting in a market-neutral position. This essentially meant that they just paid trading fees. Interestingly, Christensen told Benzinga that he did not favor presidents or heads of state getting linked to speculative investments. "If promoting a stock you own is a legal issue, the same logic should apply to crypto. There's too much potential for conflict of interest," he said. Read Next: New to crypto? Get up to $400 in rewards for successfully completing short educational courses and making your first qualifying trade on Coinbase. A must-have for all crypto enthusiasts: Sign up for the Gemini Credit Card today and earn rewards on Bitcoin Ether, or 60+ other tokens, with every purchase. Feature Photo Courtesy: Morten Christensen Send To MSN: Send to MSN This article Trump Gala Dinner Saw President Wine And Dine Top Memecoin Holders As Protestors Flashed 'Don The Con' Signs — Exclusive originally appeared on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Tatler Asia
22-05-2025
- Business
- Tatler Asia
A guide to the 7 top memecoins, ranked by market cap (and absurdity)
1. Dogecoin (DOGE) Above The Doge meme is based on the photo of Kabosu, a Shiba Inu adopted in 2008 by Atsuko Sato, a kindergarten teacher in Japan (Photo: Asanagi via Wikimedia Commons) Blockchain: Litecoin cryptocurrency protocol Market cap: US$35.9 billion Price: US$0.2406 True to its nature, the first memecoin was intended as a joke. Launched in 2013 as a parody of Bitcoin, Dogecoin (DOGE) was inspired by the viral 'Doge' meme featuring a Shiba Inu named Kabosu. Though initially created as a joke, Dogecoin gained legitimacy over time—especially after high-profile endorsements from Elon Musk. When Dogecoin started climbing in value, several copycats followed suit. Supported by a strong and active community, Dogecoin now serves practical functions, such as tipping content creators on Reddit and X (formerly Twitter), and supporting charitable causes. 2. Shiba Inu (SHIB) Blockchain: Ethereum Market cap: US$8.94 billion Price: US$0.00001519 Inspired by Dogecoin, Shiba Inu launched in 2020 as the self-styled 'Dogecoin killer'. Its creator remains anonymous, and its token supply maxes out at one quadrillion. 3. Pepe (PEPE) Above Pepe the Frog is an internet meme and comic character created by American comics artist Matt Furie (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Studio Incendo) Blockchain: Ethereum Market cap: US$6.05 billion Price: US$0.0000144 Based on Matt Furie's 'Pepe the Frog' meme, this 2023 launch quickly became a speculative darling in the memecoin community. Pepe is known for its high price volatility, with its value largely driven by social media hype and crypto market trends. 4. Official Trump (TRUMP) Above The Official Trump meme coin was launched in January 2025 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Sunkicrypt) Blockchain: Solana Market cap: US$2.90 billion Price: US$14.52 Official Trump (TRUMP) is a memecoin linked to US President Donald J Trump. Launched in January 2025 by Donald Trump on Truth Social, this politically sensitive memecoin saw an immediate spike in value, followed by a sharp drop; it now trades at -54.76 per cent below its seven-day all-time high of US$0.01575, with a maximum limit of one billion coins. Also read: Donald Trump's $Trump meme coin has made him a crypto billionaire. Here's what you need to know before you buy 5. Bonk (BONK) Blockchain: Solana Market cap: US$1.68 billion Price: US$0.00002185 Marketed as the 'people's dog coin,' Bonk was introduced in 2022 and placed itself as a community-driven alternative to Dogecoin and Shiba Inu. As the first major Solana-based memecoin, half its 88.81 trillion token supply was airdropped to the Solana community. 6. Fartcoin (FARTCOIN) Blockchain: Solana Market cap: US$1.49 billion Price: US$1.49 Created in October 2024, Fartcoin embraces flatulence humour and rewards its community for sharing fart-themed content, with t op contributors given additional tokens. 7. Dogwifhat (WIF) Blockchain: Solana Market cap: US$1.15 billion Price: US$1.15 Dogwifhat (WIF) is another humorous dog-theme meme coin that uses the branding of a dog wearing a hat. Created in December 2023, it is a Solana based meme coin with a maximum token supply of almost one billion. All values are current as of May 22, 2025, based on figures from crypto data aggregator
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What are Trump's guests getting from $148m crypto dinner?
A procession of black-tie guests is expected to arrive at Trump National Golf Club in Washington, DC on Wednesday – not traditional political donors, but cryptocurrency holders whose anonymous digital wallets filled with memecoins have secured them access to an exclusive gala dinner with the US president himself. The guest list consists of the top 220 holders of the Official Trump memecoin trump-official (TRUMP-OFFICIAL-USD), who collectively spent an estimated $148m (£110.72m) acquiring the token in the hope of securing face time with Donald Trump. The event has stirred controversy over claims of crypto-fuelled political influence, with critics calling it 'pay-to-play 2.0' and watchdogs demanding federal scrutiny. Read more: Crypto live prices But for those attending, the question remains: What are they gaining in return? Trump first announced the exclusive dinner in April, promising an invitation to his private club for the top 220 $TRUMP token holders and a VIP experience for the top 25. The announcement sent the memecoin soaring, with prices jumping over 60% in a single day. Many purchases were executed through crypto exchanges like and Bybit — platforms that block US customers — suggesting that some buyers may be foreign nationals or US citizens using offshore accounts. Despite the secrecy surrounding wallets and identities, all guests are set to receive a commemorative $TRUMP non-fungible token (NFT) minted on Solana and, for the top-tier holders, a private White House tour the following day — access typically reserved for diplomats and heads of state. So what's really on offer for these blockchain-backed guests? Beyond the NFT and a photo op, attendees may be chasing high-level access, and according to Nansen analyst Nicolai Sondergaard, the event is primarily a networking opportunity. "While there may be potential to gain some informational advantages, there are in my opinion, no other clear or substantial benefits beyond that," Sondergaard told Yahoo Finance UK. The dinner may also offer early intelligence on potential regulatory rollbacks and introductions to crypto policy insiders. The holders of the top 25 wallets will attend a VIP reception and a private White House tour. It's an unprecedented offering that blurs the lines between spectacle, tech innovation, and political fundraising. However, this access comes with growing ethical scrutiny. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff have formally called for a federal investigation, labelling the event a 'pay-for-access scheme' that may violate the US Constitution's Emoluments Clause. Watchdog group has echoed these concerns, citing links between the token proceeds and CIC Digital, an affiliate of the Trump Organization. Read more: How Trump and Melania meme coins are performing after 100 days In a statement to the House of Representative's financial services committee, president of president Caroline Ciccone said: "The blurring or erasing of the line between Donald Trump's personal interests and the Executive Branch's agenda risks a true pay-to-play administration." Trying to identify the true identities of the top token holders is no easy task. Blockchains are transparent, but the people behind crypto wallets often are not. Still, on-chain analytics firm Nansen has sifted through the data to offer some clues. The leading wallet on the Trump memecoin leaderboard is labelled "SUN", sparking speculation that it belongs to Chinese-born crypto mogul Justin Sun, founder of the TRON (TRX-USD) blockchain. 'Crypto Twitter is speculating that this is Justin Sun, but we were not able to find any immediate connection to wallets we've already labeled as being owned by him," Sondergaard said. 'It holds a substantial amount of TRX and interacts with HTX-labelled wallets — formerly Huobi — but that's not enough to validate ownership.' The second-largest holder, dubbed 'MeCo', appears to be associated with MemeCore, a Singapore-based layer-1 blockchain team. The wallet was funded by a Binance account 20 days ago and contains $TRUMP and a small amount of Solana (SOL-USD). 'It's not a singular person but rather an organization behind MemeCore. There's been some fun finger-pointing suggesting the wallet could be linked to Justin Sun, but that may just be in jest," Sondergaard added. Read more: Trending tickers: Nvidia, Alibaba, Novavax, Ryanair and Diageo The third wallet, 'CASE", was funded through Wintermute, a leading crypto market maker. Sondergaard believes this could have been an over-the-counter (OTC) transaction, saying: 'It might be someone at Wintermute, but I lean more toward the idea that it was a private sale.' Like others, the wallet only holds $TRUMP and SOL tokens. Two more wallets, 'GAnt' and 'REKT,' round out the top five. Both are newly created, with GAnt funded via a Binance wallet and later transferring assets to Coinbase. REKT received funds from ChangeNOW, a non-KYC exchange, and also made a withdrawal from Binance. Their anonymity underscores a broader concern, that significant funds have entered the US political landscape through untraceable, foreign-friendly channels. While some token holders are about to dine with a former president, most investors haven't been so fortunate. Since the dinner announcement, over 20 million TRUMP tokens – worth roughly $280m – have flowed into wallets, with $109m exiting, according to Nansen. But the trading frenzy hasn't translated into widespread profits. "The data tells a cautionary tale," Sondergaard said. 'Despite over 2,600 traders participating, 70% have realised losses. Total losses since the announcement exceed $21m — dwarfing profits during the same period.' Even media attention has waned. Google (GOOG) Trends shows that searches for the TRUMP token have declined since its initial launch on the weekend before Trump's January 20 inauguration. "Volume is still high and the token is actively traded,' Sondergaard said, 'But much of that may be driven by those racing to make the leaderboard before the dinner deadline." Read more: Why pension funds are buying bitcoin What we know about Elon Musk's controversial blockchain vision for US How AI could change the internet
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What are Trump's guests getting from $148m crypto dinner?
A procession of black-tie guests is expected to arrive at Trump National Golf Club in Washington, DC on Wednesday – not traditional political donors, but cryptocurrency holders whose anonymous digital wallets filled with memecoins have secured them access to an exclusive gala dinner with the US president himself. The guest list consists of the top 220 holders of the Official Trump memecoin trump-official (TRUMP-OFFICIAL-USD), who collectively spent an estimated $148m (£110.72m) acquiring the token in the hope of securing face time with Donald Trump. The event has stirred controversy over claims of crypto-fuelled political influence, with critics calling it 'pay-to-play 2.0' and watchdogs demanding federal scrutiny. Read more: Crypto live prices But for those attending, the question remains: What are they gaining in return? Trump first announced the exclusive dinner in April, promising an invitation to his private club for the top 220 $TRUMP token holders and a VIP experience for the top 25. The announcement sent the memecoin soaring, with prices jumping over 60% in a single day. Many purchases were executed through crypto exchanges like and Bybit — platforms that block US customers — suggesting that some buyers may be foreign nationals or US citizens using offshore accounts. Despite the secrecy surrounding wallets and identities, all guests are set to receive a commemorative $TRUMP non-fungible token (NFT) minted on Solana and, for the top-tier holders, a private White House tour the following day — access typically reserved for diplomats and heads of state. So what's really on offer for these blockchain-backed guests? Beyond the NFT and a photo op, attendees may be chasing high-level access, and according to Nansen analyst Nicolai Sondergaard, the event is primarily a networking opportunity. "While there may be potential to gain some informational advantages, there are in my opinion, no other clear or substantial benefits beyond that," Sondergaard told Yahoo Finance UK. The dinner may also offer early intelligence on potential regulatory rollbacks and introductions to crypto policy insiders. The holders of the top 25 wallets will attend a VIP reception and a private White House tour. It's an unprecedented offering that blurs the lines between spectacle, tech innovation, and political fundraising. However, this access comes with growing ethical scrutiny. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff have formally called for a federal investigation, labelling the event a 'pay-for-access scheme' that may violate the US Constitution's Emoluments Clause. Watchdog group has echoed these concerns, citing links between the token proceeds and CIC Digital, an affiliate of the Trump Organization. Read more: How Trump and Melania meme coins are performing after 100 days In a statement to the House of Representative's financial services committee, president of president Caroline Ciccone said: "The blurring or erasing of the line between Donald Trump's personal interests and the Executive Branch's agenda risks a true pay-to-play administration." Trying to identify the true identities of the top token holders is no easy task. Blockchains are transparent, but the people behind crypto wallets often are not. Still, on-chain analytics firm Nansen has sifted through the data to offer some clues. The leading wallet on the Trump memecoin leaderboard is labelled "SUN", sparking speculation that it belongs to Chinese-born crypto mogul Justin Sun, founder of the TRON (TRX-USD) blockchain. 'Crypto Twitter is speculating that this is Justin Sun, but we were not able to find any immediate connection to wallets we've already labeled as being owned by him," Sondergaard said. 'It holds a substantial amount of TRX and interacts with HTX-labelled wallets — formerly Huobi — but that's not enough to validate ownership.' The second-largest holder, dubbed 'MeCo', appears to be associated with MemeCore, a Singapore-based layer-1 blockchain team. The wallet was funded by a Binance account 20 days ago and contains $TRUMP and a small amount of Solana (SOL-USD). 'It's not a singular person but rather an organization behind MemeCore. There's been some fun finger-pointing suggesting the wallet could be linked to Justin Sun, but that may just be in jest," Sondergaard added. Read more: Trending tickers: Nvidia, Alibaba, Novavax, Ryanair and Diageo The third wallet, 'CASE", was funded through Wintermute, a leading crypto market maker. Sondergaard believes this could have been an over-the-counter (OTC) transaction, saying: 'It might be someone at Wintermute, but I lean more toward the idea that it was a private sale.' Like others, the wallet only holds $TRUMP and SOL tokens. Two more wallets, 'GAnt' and 'REKT,' round out the top five. Both are newly created, with GAnt funded via a Binance wallet and later transferring assets to Coinbase. REKT received funds from ChangeNOW, a non-KYC exchange, and also made a withdrawal from Binance. Their anonymity underscores a broader concern, that significant funds have entered the US political landscape through untraceable, foreign-friendly channels. While some token holders are about to dine with a former president, most investors haven't been so fortunate. Since the dinner announcement, over 20 million TRUMP tokens – worth roughly $280m – have flowed into wallets, with $109m exiting, according to Nansen. But the trading frenzy hasn't translated into widespread profits. "The data tells a cautionary tale," Sondergaard said. 'Despite over 2,600 traders participating, 70% have realised losses. Total losses since the announcement exceed $21m — dwarfing profits during the same period.' Even media attention has waned. Google (GOOG) Trends shows that searches for the TRUMP token have declined since its initial launch on the weekend before Trump's January 20 inauguration. "Volume is still high and the token is actively traded,' Sondergaard said, 'But much of that may be driven by those racing to make the leaderboard before the dinner deadline." Read more: Why pension funds are buying bitcoin What we know about Elon Musk's controversial blockchain vision for US How AI could change the internet
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Chuck Schumer Says Trump Is 'Letting Cartel Members' Into The US, Asks How Much 'Memecoin' Did They Pay
Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) attacked President Donald Trump's reported decision to parole family members of Mexican cartel leaders into the United States on Wednesday, implying a potential connection to the Official Trump (CRYPTO: TRUMP) meme coin. What Happened: In an X post, Schumer said, 'Trump is letting cartel family members just come right into our country' as part of an agreement, deeming it a 'dangerous' development. 'How much memecoin did Sinaloa have to buy to make this happen?' the senior Democrat leveled a serious accusation against Trump, referring to the $2 billion cryptocurrency. Trending: — no wallets, just price speculation and free paper trading to practice different cited an Associated Press report that said the son of Sinaloa Cartel's notorious drug lord Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, who was extradited to the U.S. in 2023, reached an agreement with the administration. Mexico's security chief confirmed Lopez's family members crossed into the U.S. last week, the report added. The White House didn't immediately return Benzinga's request for It Matters: This controversy comes against the backdrop of Trump's war on Mexican drug cartels, which he identifies as a threat to national security. Hours after his inauguration, Trump signed an executive order designating certain international cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. El Chapo was found guilty of several criminal charges and sentenced to life in prison in 2019. On the other hand, the TRUMP memecoin has sparked political outrage, with Democratic lawmakers accusing Trump of corruption for selling access to himself in exchange for payments made with his meme coin. Trump has refuted claims that he is financially benefiting from the coin. Read Next: New to crypto? Get up to $400 in rewards for successfully completing short educational courses and making your first qualifying trade on Coinbase. A must-have for all crypto enthusiasts: Sign up for the Gemini Credit Card today and earn rewards on Bitcoin Ether, or 60+ other tokens, with every purchase. Photo Courtesy: Bumble Dee On Send To MSN: Send to MSN This article Chuck Schumer Says Trump Is 'Letting Cartel Members' Into The US, Asks How Much 'Memecoin' Did They Pay originally appeared on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
