The trading debut of $WLFI, a token tied to a cryptocurrency venture affiliated with U.S. President Donald Trump’s sons, has put a spotlight on the family’s growing presence in the crypto space.
Cryptocurrency has become a recurring theme in the family’s business empire, even as critics have raised potential conflicts of interest given Trump’s pledge to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the planet.”
The White House, however, has denied any wrongdoing. All of Trump’s multi-billion-dollar real estate, golf, media, and other business interests are in a trust managed by his children.
According to ethics experts, the president is exempt from conflict-of-interest laws because he oversees so many areas that enforcement is impractical. The system relies on a president’s good-faith effort to separate his personal interests from the country’s when he takes office.
Here is a rundown of the Trump family’s main forays into the cryptocurrency industry:
Trump Media
In May, Truth Social owner Trump Media and Technology Group announced it had raised $2.5 billion through a sale of shares and bonds to buy Bitcoin, which CEO Devin Nunes called the “apex instrument of financial freedom.”
The company plans to hold Bitcoin as an asset on its balance sheet, following a strategy long popularized by Michael Saylor.
According to a company filing, about 41% of the stake in Trump Media is held in a trust under the name of the president’s son, Donald Jr. As of Friday’s close, the stake was valued at $2 billion.
Trump Media Group CRO strategy
Trump Media and Crypto.com have partnered with a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) to launch a new venture called Trump Media Group CRO Strategy that will accumulate the crypto platform’s native token, CRO, on its balance sheet.
Expected funding for the new company will consist of 6.3 billion CRO tokens, $200 million in cash, $220 million in warrants, and a $5 billion equity line of credit from an affiliate of investment firm Yorkville, the SPAC’s backer.
Yorkville, Trump Media, and Crypto.com will be the majority owners of the company, they said.
According to CoinGecko, CRO’s market value was $8.7 billion as of Wednesday.
World Liberty Financial
DT Marks DEFI LLC, an entity linked to the Trump family, holds nearly 38% of the equity in the company that controls World Liberty Financial and is entitled to receive the lion’s share of its revenue, according to the company’s website.
It also holds 22.5 billion $WLFI tokens, created by World Liberty, which have dropped 21% since they started trading on Monday. The token was last valued at $6.7 billion on Wednesday, according to CoinGecko.
Under an agreement, the Trump-tied entity is entitled to 75% of the money raised from $WLFI sales, after covering agreed-upon reserves and expenses.
According to Reuters calculations based on the company’s terms, transactions traced by crypto analysis firms, and publicly disclosed deals, the Trump family has made about $500 million from World Liberty since the platform was launched.
World Liberty, which promotes itself as a decentralized finance platform, lists the president’s sons, Eric and Donald Jr., and Barron as co-founders on its website.
It also issues a dollar-backed stablecoin called USD1, which has a market value of $2.5 billion, according to data from CoinGecko.
Memecoins
In the lead-up to his inauguration in January, Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump launched memecoins $TRUMP and $MELANIA, which ignited a buying frenzy while also drawing sharp criticism.
Memecoins, whose value is driven by internet buzz or cultural relevance rather than technological utility, are highly volatile tokens that can offer large returns but also carry high risks.
The market values of the $TRUMP and $MELANIA memecoins have since fallen to $1.7 billion and $144 million, respectively, according to CoinGecko, from $9 billion and $1.6 billion shortly after their launch.
The top 220 holders of Trump’s memecoin were invited to an exclusive dinner with the president at his private country club in May.
NFTs
Trump entered the speculative NFT space in 2022, launching ventures, including collectible digital trading cards and branded merchandise.
In June of this year, Trump reported $1.16 million in income from his NFTs, which are digital trading cards featuring his likeness. Meanwhile, former First Lady Melania Trump earned around $216,700 from license fees on her own NFT collection.
American Bitcoin
American Bitcoin, a new Bitcoin miner backed by Trump’s two sons, is expected to list on the Nasdaq this month after an all-stock merger with Gryphon Digital Mining.
Eric, his brother Donald Jr., and crypto miner Hut 8 will own a combined 98% of the newly formed entity.
Launched by Hut 8 in March 2025, American Bitcoin has vowed to become “the world’s largest, most efficient pure-play Bitcoin miner.”
Crypto ETFs
Trump Media has partnered with Yorkville on plans to launch at least three Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs)—one tracking Bitcoin, another mixing Bitcoin and Ethereum, and a third covering Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, XRP, and CRO.
Dominari Holdings
Eric and Donald Jr. each hold a nearly 6.3% stake in crypto treasury vehicle Dominari Holdings, according to data from LSEG. As of Thursday’s close, their shares were valued at $6 million each.
