A pair of Trump-themed cryptocurrencies sent shockwaves through digital markets in early 2025, with the TRUMP coin skyrocketing 400% to $40 while his wife’s MELANIA token took a nosedive. The TRUMP coin, sporting a cartoon logo of the former president raising his fist, reached an $8.3 billion market cap. The tokens reached a combined market value of $9.5 billion by Monday afternoon.
Meanwhile, MELANIA plummeted from $13.76 to a measly $0.49 by April. Talk about a family feud in digital form.
Things got really interesting when Trump announced a private dinner at his golf club for top holders of his meme coin. The top 25 holders would get an exclusive reception before the main event. The price exploded from $9.30 to $14.51 within hours on April 24, though it settled at $12.30 the next day. Nothing like a little presidential access to pump those crypto numbers.
Trump’s dinner invitation sent his crypto token soaring 56% in hours – proof that presidential access still drives digital markets.
Both coins launched on the Solana blockchain just days before Trump’s inauguration, attracting billions in investment faster than you can say “Make Crypto Great Again.” Early investors and liquidity providers cashed in big, taking a cut of each trade while facilitating transactions.
Of course, both camps tried to dodge the investment label. The TRUMP coin website called it an “expression of support,” while MELANIA branded their tokens as “digital collectibles.” Traditional financial models? Useless here. These babies run on pure hype, virality, and community sentiment.
Critics weren’t having it. Senator Chris Murphy called the dinner offer “the most brazenly corrupt thing a President has ever done.” Government watchdogs labeled it a “blatant and appalling” instance of selling presidential access. Accountable.US blasted Trump for starting a “bidding war” for face time.
This wasn’t Trump’s first rodeo in crypto-land. He’d already released four series of digital trading cards before diving into meme coins.
But this time, he managed to combine presidential power, crypto mania, and good old-fashioned pay-for-access into one controversial package. Just another day in the wild world of presidential meme coins.
