President Donald Trump offered contradictory statements regarding any financial benefit from his self-branded memecoin, $TRUMP. In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, Trump initially denied any involvement in profits:
“I’m not profiting from anything.” However, moments later, he added:
“I haven’t even looked… But I’ll tell you what. Look, if I own stock in something and I do a good job, and the stock market goes up, I guess I’m profiting.”
The $TRUMP token, launched on January 17—just three days before Trump returned to the presidency—initially soared to an all-time high of $73.43, according to CoinGecko. It has since dropped to around $11.35, despite a recent bounce following news that top holders would be invited to an exclusive dinner with the president on May 22.
During the interview, Trump appeared unaware of the token’s current price, repeatedly asking how much it was worth.
Entities Linked to Trump Control 80% of Token Supply
Despite downplaying his involvement, public records suggest a deeper connection. Corporate filings show that two firms—CIC Digital LLC and Fight Fight Fight LLC—control 80% of the token’s 1 billion total supply. CIC Digital is affiliated with the Trump Organization, and Fight Fight Fight is partially owned by CIC.
Token allocations are under a multi-year vesting schedule. On April 18, 40 million tokens—valued at about $454 million at the time—were unlocked and transferred to CIC Digital. The remainder will be incrementally released over the next three years.
This connection has raised ethical red flags. Critics argue that Trump’s proximity to a speculative crypto asset poses a serious conflict of interest—especially as he leads policy decisions affecting the digital asset sector.
GOP Lawmakers Object to Token-Driven Access Perks
The $TRUMP token’s utility feature—offering a private dinner with Trump to top holders—has drawn criticism from both sides of the aisle, including Republican senators.
Senator Cynthia Lummis, a longtime crypto advocate, said the offer “gives [her] pause.” Senator Lisa Murkowski added that monetizing White House access through cryptocurrency is “inappropriate.”
The criticism comes amid Trump’s calls to deregulate the crypto industry—a move that some say heightens the appearance of self-enrichment. Legal experts argue the situation exemplifies the kind of ethics concern the Office of Government Ethics was created to address.
Trump, however, dismissed the backlash.
“I’m doing a good job,” he said, brushing off accusations that his public role and financial interests are colliding more than ever in the digital age.
Trump Repeats Crypto Support, Takes Aim at China and Biden
In the same interview, Trump reaffirmed his pro-crypto stance, casting digital assets as both economically and strategically vital.
“I want crypto,” he said. “I think it’s important—because if we don’t do it, China’s going to.”
He framed cryptocurrency as a tool in the global tech race, calling it “very hot” and “very popular.” Trump also criticized Joe Biden, inaccurately suggesting that Biden reversed his crypto stance to win votes in a previous election. In fact, Biden did not run against Trump in 2024, instead backing Kamala Harris’s campaign.
Quick Facts
- Trump denied profiting from $TRUMP but admitted he hasn’t checked its value.
- Trump-linked firms control 80% of the token’s supply; 40 million tokens were recently unlocked.
- The token generated an estimated $350 million in early value.
- GOP senators and ethics experts have raised concerns over Trump’s crypto ties.
