Protests erupt as Trump meets top holders of his memecoin
Trump’s crypto dinner draws backlash
U.S. President Donald Trump held a closed-door dinner at his Virginia golf club last night for the top 220 investors in his personal cryptocurrency, the $TRUMP memecoin, igniting a firestorm of political backlash and ethics concerns.
The event, which featured a three-course meal and exclusive access to the president, was heavily criticized by opponents as a blurring of presidential duties and personal financial gain.
Despite being labeled a personal event by the White House, the dinner included promotional materials bearing the presidential seal and attracted protests from ethics watchdogs and Democratic lawmakers alike.
Key takeaways
- 220 investors in the $TRUMP memecoin attended a private dinner at Trump National Golf Club.
- The top 25 were granted special access and a White House tour.
- Trump launched the memecoin shortly before his January inauguration, raising billions.
- Critics, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, have called the dinner “corruption.”
- Attendees reportedly included Tron’s Justin Sun, Magic Eden’s Jack Lu, and BitMart’s Sheldon Xia.
A convergence of politics and crypto wealth
According to event photos shared online, the dinner featured high-profile crypto executives and was decorated with signage reading “Fight Fight Fight,” a slogan from the memecoin’s issuer. The event served as both a celebration and a reward for top token holders, with gift bags and public praise from Trump himself, who posted before the event that “the USA is DOMINATING in Crypto, Bitcoin, etc.”
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While media were barred from entering, attendees posted snapshots showing Trump addressing guests from a lectern marked with the presidential seal, prompting fresh questions about the use of federal symbols in private business ventures.
Sun, who was previously accused by the Securities and Exchange Commission of violating securities laws—a case later dropped under the Trump administration—was the top purchaser of Trump’s memecoin ahead of the dinner.
Video footage shows the Chinese crypto entrepreneur, also the largest backer of Trump’s crypto venture World Liberty Financial, being brought on stage and ceremoniously presented with a pair of gold Trump-branded watches, which a Trump-affiliated company retails for $100,000.
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Political backlash and calls for transparency
The dinner took place as the U.S. Senate advances legislation aimed at clarifying cryptocurrency regulation — a long-standing demand from the industry — and as Trump continues to expand his business footprint in the digital asset space.
Outside the venue, protesters gathered in rainy weather with signs like “Stop Crypto Corruption” and “No Kings.” Democratic senators held a press conference earlier in the day, calling for full transparency regarding the dinner’s attendees and criticizing Trump for allegedly leveraging his office for personal financial gain.
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Senator Elizabeth Warren described the gathering as an “orgy of corruption,” accusing Trump of using the presidency to “make himself richer through crypto.”
Amid ongoing inquiries, watchdogs are also scrutinizing the role of foreign buyers, after analysts at Inca Digital noted the involvement of offshore exchanges in purchasing $TRUMP tokens.
Read also: Dinner with Trump. Crypto community seeks seat at table
