President Donald Trump’s family has aggressively expanded into digital assets since his 2024 reelection, dubbing him the “first crypto president.”
This push fueled a massive rally—Bitcoin surged to $126,000 in October—but a sharp market reversal has erased trillions globally, hitting Trump-linked projects hard.
While the family has still netted billions overall, the downturn has wiped out roughly $1 billion from their collective fortune and devastated retail investors, many of whom are Trump supporters who piled in on hype from his inner circle.
The Rise of the Trump Crypto Empire
Trump’s family didn’t just dip a toe—they dove headfirst into crypto, leveraging the president’s pro-industry stance. Key ventures include: The $TRUMP token launched in early 2025, quickly followed by a similar one tied to Melania Trump. These speculative assets exploded on election euphoria, with $TRUMP hitting $9.49 in November.
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World Liberty Financial (WLFI): A Trump-backed DeFi platform that debuted tokens trading on exchanges. The family reportedly earned ~$400 million from initial sales, with holdings peaking at $6 billion now locked and illiquid.
American Bitcoin Corp. (ABTC): Backed by Eric and Donald Trump Jr., this mining firm went public on Nasdaq in September at a $5 billion valuation. Eric Trump has been vocal, urging buys during dips.
Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG): Truth Social’s parent company shifted to a “crypto treasury strategy,” investing ~$2 billion in Bitcoin 11,500 BTC at ~$115,000 each. At its height, crypto made up 73% of Trump’s estimated wealth, per watchdog groups like Accountable.US—up from 37% in April 2025.
The family reportedly generated $800 million in crypto sales income in the first half of the year alone, with total holdings valued at up to $11.6 billion. The party ended abruptly in October 2025, triggered by a “flash crash” on October 10 after Trump announced renewed 100% tariffs on China via Truth Social.
This sparked a risk-off panic, Bitcoin plunged From $126,000 October peak to below $82,000 November low, a 32-35% drop. It’s since rebounded to ~$88,000 but remains volatile. The crypto market shed $1.2 trillion in value over a month, with $19 billion in liquidations on October 10 alone 1.6 million positions nuked, per CoinGlass.
Altcoins and memes fared worse—Dogecoin down 50%, many alts 50-80%. $TRUMP memecoin: down 25-35% from peaks, erasing ~$117 million from family-linked holdings. WLFI tokens fell from $6 billion to $3.15 billion valuation.
ABTC shares halved from peak, down amid mining sector woes. TMTG stock crashed 70% YTD to all-time lows, partly due to its Bitcoin bet now underwater by 25%. Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index pegs the family’s net worth drop at $1 billion since September from $7.7 billion to $6.7 billion, almost entirely crypto-driven.
A House Judiciary Democrats report calls it a “new age of corruption,” alleging self-dealing with foreign actors (e.g., North Korea/Russia-linked wallets buying tokens) and policy favors for donors.
The real sting is for everyday investors—many MAGA die-hards—who bought the hype via Eric Trump’s X promotions or Truth Social buzz. The $TRUMP coin alone inflicted $12 billion in collective losses on holders, with insiders pocketing ~$100 million in fees per on-chain analysis.
One viral X post highlighted a “Trump insider” liquidated for $45 million after a 100% win streak, but that’s dwarfed by small investors wiped out. October’s crash liquidated overleveraged positions up to 25x, with exchanges like Binance/Bybit freezing orders amid “technical issues” and oracle misfires.
Rumors swirl of coordinated shorts like a whale profiting $160-200M with insider timing on Trump’s tariff tweet. Posts rage about betrayal—”Trump hates you all” or “his cult holding the bag with a collective 12 BILLION DOLLAR LOSS.”
Some blame manipulation targeting Trump’s ecosystem— JPMorgan/MSCI pressure on MicroStrategy. Others see it as volatility: “Crypto is here to stay,” per WLFI spokespeople. Critics like economist Paul Krugman tie the crash to “unraveling Trump trade”—waning political momentum amid tariff chaos and AI bubble fears.
Supporters counter it’s a “stress test” for the bull run ahead. Crypto’s wild swings aren’t new—remember 2022’s FTX collapse? Trump’s ventures amplified the boom and bust via his platform’s reach, but they’ve also drawn scrutiny: frozen wallets, foreign influence, and emoluments clause lawsuits.
Eric Trump urges buying dips “if you can’t handle the volatility”, betting on long-term maturation. The family remains enormously richer—up billions since 2024—while followers nurse wounds. It’s a stark reminder: Crypto rewards conviction but punishes FOMO.
If you’re in it, diversify; if not, watch from afar.