Trump Inauguration Ushers in a Crypto-Friendly Administration, and With It, New State Policies

President Donald Trump became an overnight cryptocurrency billionaire after dispensing Trump meme coins on the Solana blockchain.

President Donald Trump became an overnight cryptocurrency billionaire after dispensing Trump meme coins on the Solana blockchain. The official Trump digital token exceeded a $10 billion market capitalization ahead of Trump’s inauguration on Monday, Jan. 20.

Multiple media outlets are reporting on the new cryptocurrency coins, including Trump meme coins and meme coins featuring first lady Melania Trump.

The Trump coin launched on the Solana blockchain last week and quickly became one of the top cryptocurrencies by market capitalization, according to CoinMarketCap. The coin is being traded by users on decentralized exchanges, such as Orca and Serum.

The Trump coin is not affiliated with the Trump Organization or any political campaign. However, it appears to be capitalizing on Trump’s popularity among cryptocurrency enthusiasts. The coin is being promoted on social media platforms, such as Telegram and Discord, by users who are touting its potential to generate massive gains.

According to CoinMarketCap, if all Trump coins were in circulation, the fully diluted value would exceed $50 billion.

Despite Trump and others getting rich on the new offering, the official website warns Trump Memes are not “an investment opportunity, investment contract, or security of any type.”

“Trump Memes are intended to function as an expression of support for, and engagement with, the ideals and beliefs embodied by the symbol ‘$TRUMP,’” the website fine print reads.

It also warns the trade is not political and not affiliated with a political campaign, office or governmental agency. CIC Digital LLC, an affiliate of The Trump Organization and Fight Fight Fight LLC, collectively own 80% of the Trump Cards, according to the website GetTrumpMemes.com. 

Like other cryptocurrencies, the Trump meme coin is digitally traded through a computer network, in this case, the Solana blockchain. Cryptocurrencies are seen as decentralized and an alternative to “fiat money,” national currencies like the dollar, which governments control.

$TRUMP dives as $MELANIA enters market

The Trump coin took a dive on Sunday, Jan. 19, when Trump’s wife, Melania, launched her own offering. The official MELANIA Meme had a market cap of around $1.5 billion ahead of the inauguration ceremony on Monday, Jan. 20, with each coin trading at around $8. The fully diluted value is north of $7 billion.

$MELANIA contains the same disclosures as $TRUMP: They are digital collectibles intended to function as an expression of support.

On X, Melania Trump’s tweet promoting the meme coin came with a warning from Community Notes: “Buying this token is incredibly risky and will likely result in the loss of funds.”

The ‘first cryptocurrency president’

Cryptocurrency has functioned as part of the Trump trade since Trump the candidate headlined the Bitcoin2024 conference in Nashville.

“If crypto is going to define the future, I want it to be mined, minted and made in the USA,” Trump said in his keynote speech in July 2024. “And if Bitcoin is going to the moon, as we say, is going to the moon, I want America to be the nation that leads the way, and that’s what’s going to happen.”

Crypto advocates call Trump the first Bitcoin president. Bitcoin touched higher than $108,000 early Monday morning ahead of Trump’s swearing-in. It’s a huge return from its value of less than $70,000 on Election Day in November 2024.

The first couple’s foray into meme coins is unprecedented and brings up concerns of conflict. Multiple former White House ethics lawyers have raised red flags about Trump financially benefiting from an industry he is charged with regulating.

Cryptocurrency regulation under Trump

Trump has vowed to relax the more stringent regulatory landscape on cryptocurrency taken during the Biden administration. In his first week in office, he is expected to sign an executive order creating a crypto advisory council.

Crypto advocates have long lambasted Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler for regulating most cryptocurrencies as securities. Gensler left the agency on Monday, Jan. 20.

In December, Trump tapped the more crypto-friendly Paul Atkins to chair the SEC. He was previously an SEC commissioner under President George W. Bush and co-chair of the Digital Chamber of Commerce’s Token Alliance.

Former Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Chris Giancarlo told Straight Arrow News, that Atkins is “an advocate for blockchain and digital assets.”