Politicians launching meme coins is fine—‘If you’re not disclosing sh*t, it is fraud’

Speaking on TheStreet Roundtable, David Gokhshtein, founder of Gokhshtein Media, argued that politicians launching tokens isn't inherently wrong

Memecoins have taken over the crypto space, sparking debates on whether politicians should be involved.

Speaking on TheStreet Roundtable, David Gokhshtein, founder of Gokhshtein Media, argued that politicians launching tokens isn’t inherently wrong — as long as they disclose it.

“I have no problem with any politician, president, or any notable figure coming into this space and launching their own token. I mean, that’s fine,” Gokhshtein said. “But if you’re not disclosing sh*t, it is fraud.”

He pointed to the Hayden Davis situation, where a network of venture capitalists allegedly extracted liquidity from the crypto market. “For the last six to eight months, we’ve been told it’s a skill issue when it’s not. It’s a networking issue,” he said, referring to insiders manipulating the system while retail investors are left behind.

Transparency matters

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David Gokhshtein says politicians launching meme coins is fine—'If you’re not disclosing sh*t, it is fraud'

Gokhshtein noted that Trump handled his meme token launch differently by acknowledging ownership.

“At least when Trump came out with his token, Trump acknowledged that it was his token. That was his meme token. So you understood who was operating the project.”

Milei initially denied involvement before later admitting he knew about it. “He had an interview saying, ‘You know exactly where you stepped into. It’s a casino.’”

James ‘Metalawman’ Murphy, a crypto lawyer, noted that the biggest problem is hidden involvement and market manipulation. “If you lie to people and trick them, it’s fraud,” he said. “It’s not fraud to simply put it out there and let people decide for themselves.”

$300 million lost, never coming back

Gokhshtein warned that the Milei token scandal drained $300 million from the crypto industry—money that will never return.

“That’s globally. That’s China. That’s the United States. That’s everybody who participates in crypto. That $300 million? That’s gone.”