TRUMP’S CRYPTO CONNECTIONS

Trump’s financial disclosure reveals $1.4 billion in revenue from crypto ventures including World Liberty Financial and $TRUMP meme coins.

Forbes reports that his earnings totaled $2.4 billion in 2025 — 6,000 times more than the presidential salary and significantly higher than the estimated $760 million he received in 2024. His crypto businesses took in more earnings than any publicly traded U.S. digital asset enterprise last year. 

His report suggests that he did not keep the revenue in digital assets, but rather invested them into traditional securities, making over 21,000 trades with stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.

Everyday investors in his crypto ventures have lost billions of dollars, with nearly 1 million owners of $Trump losing an aggregate $3.8 billion. 

The President reported zero purchases or sales of cryptocurrency in the transaction section of his report. This follows new, softer interpretations from the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Corporation Finance, including the position that meme coins, like $TRUMP, are not securities, and therefore would not need to be reported as such. However, experts have highlighted that even under the SEC’s looser approach, crypto tokens like those of $WLFI should be classified as securities.

Seven Critical Revelations From President Trump’s Financial Disclosure Report 

July 20, 2026

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Senate Banking Committee Democrats publish “American National Security for Sale”, a report detailing Trump’s crypto corruption related to World Liberty Financial (WLF) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The report explains how the Trump Administration favored the UAE in foreign policy decisions following their 49% stake investment in WLF, which delivered $187 million to the Trumps and was backed by the UAE’s national security advisor. In relation to the new report, Senator Warren explained “Congress needs to grow a spine. We cannot allow American national security simply to be sold to the highest bidder.”

World Liberty Financial pays UFC fighters at White House event bonuses totaling $250,000 in USD1 stablecoin.

The Trump-backed currency was listed as an “official sponsor” for the UFC Freedom 250 event, which occurred on government property and used seven federal agencies and cost $60 million, plus an estimated $10-12 million from taxpayers in security costs.

Politico reports that CFTC Chair Michael Selig is the only member of a “what is supposed to be a five-person bipartisan commission,” giving Selig “unilateral say” over cryptocurrency and prediction market regulatory questions. Selig, along with President Trump, has been a central proponent of the Clarity Act.

CFTC asks judge to undo a $5 million penalty against Winklevoss twins, who each donated $1 million to Trump’s 2024 campaign.

The CFTC said the twins, owners of Gemini Trust Company, should have never been accused of making false statements connected to Bitcoin futures. Gemini and the CFTC cited the new crypto enforcement policy under Trump as justification for the vacated settlement.

Trump vows to protect the crypto industry in a post also advocating for the CFTC’s “exclusive authority” of prediction markets. 

The New York Times publishes an investigation revealing that the CFTC has softened regulatory enforcement while helping advance both crypto and prediction markets. The report emphasizes how the CFTC intervened to help companies related to the Trump Family business empire.

Senate Banking Committee approves Clarity Act in a win for the Crypto industry. The bill will proceed to the Senate floor next.

Leading Democrats expressed concern for the current state of the bill: “This bill puts investors, our national security and our entire financial system at risk — and it will turbocharge Donald Trump’s crypto corruption,” said Senator Warren.

Trump files a periodic financial disclosure report revealing Q1 investment in crypto companies Coinbase, MARA Holdings, and Strategy Inc. made during the administration’s push for pro-crypto legislation.

Amid these investments, Trump made a Truth Social post calling for speedy passage of the Clarity Act. 

Bloomberg reports that undisclosed sales of World Liberty Financial (WLF) boosted the Trump family fortune by $660 million.

World Liberty Financial (WLF) countersues Justin Sun for defamation, alleging that Sun improperly transferred WLF tokens, conducted straw purchases, and placed bets on the token’s market value.

WLF accuses Sun of conducting these actions in a deliberate campaign to lower the token’s market price before public trading opened in September. 

Forbes reports that Eric Trump, the president’s son, “no longer appears on the leadership webpage for Alt5 Sigma Corp., a fintech company closely linked to his family’s World Liberty Financial crypto venture,” though it is not clear why.

The website for President Trump’s meme coin ($TRUMP) is advertising a “members only, limited access” club, which will provide “invitation-only luxury suites at the biggest sporting events in the world, private dinners, and the most elite and extraordinary experiences,” Molly White reports in her citation needed newsletter.

The Wall Street Journal reports that World Liberty Financial “partnered with a virtual-currency venture called AB,” which housed a project “led by two men sanctioned” in the United States. 

The Trump administration had said the sanctions targeted “a transnational criminal syndicate that had stolen billions of dollars from Americans and others through online scams.” An attorney for World Liberty Financial told the Wall Street Journal “[World Liberty Financial] has never had any association or relationship with the sanctioned individuals and that it had no knowledge of the planned ‘blockchain’ resort when it announced its arrangement with AB.”

President Trump hosts the top purchasers of his $TRUMP cryptocurrency at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. 

The attendees won the second annual meme coin contest for $TRUMP, even though the value of the token had decreased by more than 95% since last year.

Justin Sun, one of World Liberty Financial’s largest investors, sues the company, claiming it pressured him into buying more tokens and threatened to report him to law enforcement officials.

World Liberty Financial announces a proposal that would prevent investors from cashing out their tokens until after President Trump’s term.

The SEC issues new guidance that classifies crypto tokens into five categories: “digital commodities, digital collectibles, digital tools, stablecoins, and digital securities.” 

It also addresses how a “non-security crypto asset” may become subject to an “investment contract.” SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins says the new guidance clarifies “that most crypto assets are not themselves securities” and “only one crypto asset class remains subject to the securities laws: digital securities, namely traditional securities that are tokenized.” 

World Liberty Financial offers “guaranteed direct access” to certain team members for investors who hold $5 million in tokens for six months in exchange for voting rights, though it says President Trump and his sons are not participating.

The SEC and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announce that they have entered into a joint memorandum of understanding, which includes the agencies “[p]roviding a fit-for-purpose regulatory framework for crypto assets and other emerging technologies.”

The SEC settles its fraud case against Justin Sun, a crypto investor who partnered with World Liberty Financial early on, with Sun’s company agreeing to pay a $10 million penalty.

Trump Media and Technology Group (Ticker Symbol: DJT) announces it “had a $712.3 million consolidated net loss” in 2025 while posting just “$3.7 million in revenue for the year. The company says “most” of its losses were “comprised” of “unrealized losses stemming from a drop in the price of digital assets and digital asset related securities.”

Crypto.com says it has received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency for a national trust bank charter.

World Liberty Financial holds a forum for “global leaders shaping the future of finance, technology, and policy” at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.

Crypto firm Nexo announces that it has returned to the U.S. market, after previously paying a $45 million fine in response to a challenge by regulators who claimed that one of its crypto lending products should have been registered as a security.

World Liberty Financial announces that it plans to launch a new foreign exchange for consumers to trade national currencies with one another.

The New York Times reports that World Liberty Financial’s (WLF) digital coin has become “one of the world’s top cryptocurrencies,” with “[m]uch of that success” coming from its “alliance with the crypto exchange Binance — founded by Changpeng Zhao, the billionaire mogul who was pardoned by President Trump last year.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that “lieutenants” for Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, “an Abu Dhabi royal who has been pushing the U.S. for access to tightly guarded artificial intelligence chips,” agreed to purchase 49% of World Liberty Financial for $500 billion. 

The deal, which took place just four days prior to Trump’s inauguration, “steer[ed] $187 million to Trump family entities.”

The New Yorker estimates that during the first year of Trump’s second presidency he and his family had net gains of more than $4 billion, with the Trump family earning “a net total of about six hundred and fifty million dollars from crypto since August” 2025 alone.

World Liberty Financial (WLF) announces that its main digital coin had reached $5 billion in circulation, a major milestone.

The New York Times’s editorial board reports that Trump “has used the office of the presidency to make at least $1.4 billion” during the first year of his second term, with the Trump family making “at least $867 million through various cryptocurrencies.”

The Times describes these figures as minimums, finding it is “probable” that the president “has collected several hundred million dollars in additional profits from his cryptocurrency ventures over the past year.”

Trump Media and Technology Group (Ticker Symbol: DJT) announces that under its digital token initiative all “registered holders of at least one whole share of DJT stock as of” Feb. 2, 2026 “will be eligible to receive tokens and associated incentives.”

Bloomberg reports that the Trump family has “generated about $1.4 billion from crypto projects that are new to” President Trump’s second term, with those projects getting a “boost from Trump’s own policies, as he signed crypto legislation and appointed regulators who tossed out lawsuits against the industry.”

The Government of Pakistan announces that it has agreed to partner with an affiliate of World Liberty Financial (WLF) “to explore using World Liberty’s USD1 stablecoin for cross-border payments,” according to Reuters.

World Liberty Financial (WLF) applies for a banking charter with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, a move the company says will allow customers to more easily use and convert its USD1 stablecoin.

Trump Media and Technology Group (Ticker Symbol: DJT), which operates the social media platform Truth Social, announces plans to distribute crypto tokens to shareholders via a partnership with Crypto.com.

Trump Media and Technology Group and Yorkville America Equities announce “that the first five Truth Social ETFs” (exchanged traded funds) “are launching today on the New York Stock Exchange.”

World Liberty Financial’s USD1 stable coin jumps $150 million in value after its partner Binance announced a “USDI Boost[er] Program.”

Binance launches its “USD1 Booster Program,” creating financial incentives for customers holding the World Liberty Financial stablecoin.

The New York Times reports (see also here) that the S.E.C. has “eased up on more than 60 percent of the crypto cases that were ongoing when” Trump “returned to the White House, moving to pause litigation, lessen penalties or outright dismiss the cases.” The times found that the dismissals were “particularly unusual,” coming “at a far higher rate for crypto firms than other cases.”

The Trump administration conditionally approves plans by five leading cryptocurrency firms to launch national banks. 

The move is part of the administration’s effort to integrate cryptocurrency firms into the traditional banking and financial system. 

Binance announces zero-fee trading for customers using World Liberty Financial’s USD1 stablecoin, as well as several new products that are paired with USD1, in certain trades.

Binance also says that all “collateral assets of Binance-Peg BUSD (B-Token) will be converted to USD1 at a 1:1 ratio.” The moves reportedly led to a 400% spike in USD1 trading volume as well as “large institutional deposits flowing into Binance’s USD1 wallets.”

Leading stock exchanges warn in a letter to the SEC that exempting crypto companies from existing regulations so they can sell “tokenised” stocks could introduce new risks to investors.

The letter comes in response to recent statements by SEC Chairman Paul Atkins regarding the agency’s hopes to create an “innovation exemption” for crypto companies that create new business models.

The New York Times reports that the “families of 300 U.S. citizens hurt or killed in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel sued Binance, claiming the cryptocurrency exchange aided Hamas and other terrorist groups by transferring more than $1 billion among accounts they controlled.”

​In 2023, Binance founder Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty to failing to maintain an effective anti-money launder program after the DOJ accused the company of allowing money to flow to terrorist groups. Trump pardoned Zhao in October.

Forbes reports that Alt5 Sigma, a crypto company linked to World Liberty Financial, may have violated SEC rules by failing to make a timely report of the suspension of Alt5 Sigma CEO Peter Tassiopoulos.

Two U.S. Senators raised concerns with the DOJ about World Liberty Financial’s ties to “various suspicious entities” in North Korea and Russia.

The New York Times reports that “at least $28 billion tied to illicit activity has flowed into crypto exchanges over the last two years.”

SEC Chairman Paul Atkins describes his agency’s “Project Crypto” as an effort to create a new “regulatory framework” for digital assets, explaining he “believes that most crypto tokens trading today are not themselves securities.”

Politico reports that “[o]verseas crypto currency giants like Binance and Tether,” which had been investigated by the DOJ, “are enjoying a newfound embrace from President Donald Trump that could help them penetrate the mainstream American financial system.”

Reuters estimates that the Trump family has made $802 million from crypto ventures during the first half of 2025.

President Trump pardons Binance founder, Changpeng Zhao.

Britain’s Financial Conduct Authority sues HTX, a crypto exchange advised by Justin Sun, alleging that it is “unlawfully promoting crypto asset services to UK consumers.”

The Guardian reports that Bitmain, a Chinese company, “is giving preferential access to its technology and providing unusually beneficial payment terms on hundreds of millions of dollars worth of specialized equipment” to American Bitcoin, which is partly owned by Eric Trump.

President Trump’s DOJ makes a deal with “Bitcoin Jesus,” Roger Ver, to avoid prosecution for allegedly evading tens of millions of dollars in tax payments.

Ver agrees to pay up to $49.9 million in penalties as part of the deferred prosecution agreement.

The value of leading cryptocurrencies suddenly crashes after President Trump threatened to levy new tariffs on Chinese imports, demonstrating the volatility of the crypto market and how closely tied it is to U.S. policy.

The White House withdrew Brian Quintenz’s nomination to chair the CFTC after “crypto billionaires Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss pressed President Donald Trump to reconsider his selection.”  

The CFTC announced “an initiative for the use of tokenized collateral including stablecoins in derivatives markets.”

​The initiative could pave the way for crypto tokens to be used as collateral for margin calls in derivative trading.

The SEC approved rules changes that allow for digital commodities to be listed on regulated exchanges under generic rules, making it easier for such crypto products to be offered.

The New York Times reports on the conflicts of interest that plagued the United Arab Emirates’ sovereign wealth fund’s $2 billion investment in World Liberty Financial and the U.S.-UAE A.I. microchip deal.

The Times’s report focused on the roles played by members of the Witkoff family and David Sacks. 

Crypto company Tether, which issues the largest stablecoin, appointed former White House aide Bo Hines as the new CEO of its stablecoin.

Hines recently left the Trump administration as the head of the Presidential Council of Advisors for Digital Assets.

Bloomberg reports that the public offerings of World Liberty Financial and American Bitcoin netted the Trump family $1.3 billion.

Justin Sun declares his plan to buy $20 million more in Trump family-affiliated crypto products.

​Sun, a Trump family business partner previously investigated by the SEC, announces in a since deleted tweet his intent to invest an additional $10 million in both WLFI and ALT5 Sigma.

American Bitcoin, a Trump family joint-venture company, goes public on the Nasdaq.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) issued a joint statement clarifying that trading spot crypto products was permissible on regulated exchanges.

​The move means that cryptocurrencies can be bought and sold at their current market price like other assets, opening the door for institutional investors to buy and sell cryptocurrencies.

World Liberty Financial tokens ($WLF) start publicly trading, creating a potential $5 billion windfall for the Trump family.

Truth Social and Crypto.com announce a creation of a new crypto entity and a utility token on Truth Social.

This deal involved the creation of Trump Media Group CRO Strategy which will be majority owned by Trump Media, Crypto.com and Yorkville Acquisition Corp — a special purpose acquisition company with numerous ties to Trump ventures.

Former White House Crypto Council Executive Director Bo Hines is hired at cryptocurrency company Tether weeks after he leaves government service.

Hines takes on a role as a strategic advisor to Tether helping them navigate the regulatory environment he was involved in creating up until he left the White House Crypto Council.

The Wall Street Journal estimates President Trump’s crypto empire to have created more than $4.5 billion in wealth since the election.

The Journal attributes this crypto wealth, which is greater than any other portion of his portfolio, in large part due to a partnership between World Liberty Financial and PancakeSwap, a company created by Binance employees to promote the circulation and value of certain cryptocurrencies including World Liberty Financial’s USD1.

The New Yorker estimates President Trump’s crypto wealth to have generated at least $2.3 billion. 

Bloomberg reports that World Liberty Financial has been soliciting investors to fund a public company which would hold WLF governance tokens. 

While details remained vague at the time, reporting indicated that World Liberty Financial was interested in offers around $1.5 billion.

President Trump signs Executive Order 14330 directing the Secretary of Labor to re-evaluate the Labor Department’s position on cryptocurrency, and other assets, as a part of 401(k) plans, reversing previous guidance and causing Bitcoin prices to rise.

The SEC & Ripple Labs drop cross-appeals, ending years-long litigation and the potential for a $2 billion fine relating to Ripple’s alleged sale of unregistered securities. Ripple Labs will pay a $125 million fine but could have owed up to $2 billion in fines had the SEC won its appeal. 

In a speech to the America First Policy Institute in Washington, D.C, Chairman Paul Atkins announced that the SEC’s Project Crypto would be “the SEC’s north star in aiding President Trump in his historic efforts to make America the ‘crypto capital of the world.’”

Trump’s Working Group on Digital Assets releases its report, Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology.

The Digital Assets Working Group was created through Executive Order 14178 Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology. This report contains recommendations to “support growth and innovation in the digital assets industry”.

The Securities and Exchange Commission changes its policy to permit cryptocurrency exchanges for exchange-traded products.

SEC policy previously required cryptocurrency to be converted into U.S. dollars. 

Trump Media & Technology Group announces a stockpile of over $2 billion in digital assets.

President Trump signs the GENIUS Act into law after lobbying lawmakers to vote yes during “Crypto Week.”

The law creates a legal pathway for payment stablecoins like World Liberty Financial’s USD1 to receive regulatory safe harbor to trade in the US. The bill was passed during the House of Representative’s “crypto week” and after the President lobbied individual lawmakers to vote yes.

$WLFI governance token holders at World Liberty Financial vote to make governance tokens tradable.

The exact arrangement by which the Trump family benefits from each transaction or sale of the tokens is unclear but as the value of the tokens increase, the Trump family net worth increases.

Trump Media & Technology Group filed paperwork seeking to launch an exchange-traded fund.

A filing with the U.S. markets regulator indicated that Trump Media’s ETF, named Truth Social Crypto Blue Chip E.T.F., would invest in crypto tokens including Bitcoin, Ether, Solana and Ripple.

SEC filings, related to a merger deal, disclose American Bitcoin raised $220 million for the purchase of digital asset mining equipment and Bitcoin.

President Trump declines to say if he will disassociate from his crypto ventures as Congress votes on related bills.

He says, “We’ve created a very powerful industry and that’s more important than anything we invest in.” 

WLF enters a partnership with Re7, a London-based hedge fund with ties to Hong Kong, to work on a USD1 stablecoin initiative.

According to CoinDesk, Re7 announced days earlier that it had secured $10 million in funds from “VMS Group, a Hong Kong family office with just under $4 billion in assets under management,” and which “is venturing into crypto for the first time.”

A fund based in the United Arab Emirates, Aqua 1 Foundation, announces that it has purchased $100 million in WLF’s governance tokens, making Aqua 1 the biggest backer of WLF.  

According to Reuters, the purchase makes the fund WLF’s “largest publicly known investor.”

WLF announces on X.com that it is working to make $WLFI transferable.

Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. informs the SEC that its Bitcoin treasury deal has become effective, stating that it has raised $2.3 billion in capital for the initiative.

Justin Sun announces on X.com that the “first USD1 has officially been minted on TRON – a small step for USD1, a giant leap for stablecoins!” 

According to Forbes, DT Marks DEFI LLC (the Trump Family) “owns about 40%” of WLF as of this date or shortly thereafter.  

Eric Trump posts on X.com that WLF “plans to acquire a substantial position in $TRUMP for their Long-Term Treasury.​”

Citing an estimate by Chainalysis, The New York Times reports that Trump’s meme coin business has generated “at least $320 million” in revenues.

Trump Media and Technology Group Corp. announces that it has filed an initial registration statement with the SEC for the Truth Social Bitcoin ETF, B.T. (“the ETF”). 

The ETF “will hold bitcoin directly and offer its shares (the ‘Shares’) to investors, aiming to reflect Bitcoin’s price performance.” ​

Binance announces that it will list WLF’s stablecoin, USD1, on its exchange. Binance also announces the next day that it will be added to several of its platforms.

Trump holds a dinner gala for his top 220 meme coin customers at his golf club in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.

Among those in attendance is Justin Sun. Two separate New York Times pieces raise ethical concerns with the meme coin contest. ​Sun “spent more than $40 million on $TRUMP coins, earning himself the top spot on the leaderboard.” Separately, He Tianying, “a member of a Chinese government group,” was one of the top meme coin purchasers and in attendance.  

In a post on X, Justin Sun describes himself as the “top holder of $TRUMP” and announces that he will be attending Trump’s gala dinner for the top meme coin customers.

WLF and Chainlink announce a new partnership, stating that “the USD1 stablecoin has skyrocketed in record time to eclipse $2 billion in market capitalization.”

GD Culture Group, a “struggling technology company that has ties to China and relies on TikTok,” says that it has “secured funding to buy as much as $300 million of $TRUMP,” according to The New York Times and an SEC filing.

Freight Technologies, Inc. (“Fr8Tech”) announces that it is purchasing an additional $1 million in $TRUMP, bringing its total investment in the meme coin to $2 million.

“Fr8Tech’s continued investment into TRUMP puts us at the intersection of finance and advocacy. It reflects our confidence in the long-term value and utility of blockchain-based digital assets and provides a unique opportunity to champion fair and free trade across the US-Mexico border in the interests of our customers,” Javier Selgas, the CEO of Fr8Tech, said.

According to an analysis by Bloomberg News, 19 of the top 25 holders of Trump’s meme coin ($TRUMP) “who have registered on the website’s leaderboard used foreign exchanges that say they exclude customers living in the US.”

At least “56% of the leaderboard’s top 220 holders used similar offshore exchanges.”

Zach Witkoff says that MGX, an Abu Dhabi-based company, would use WLF’s USD1 stablecoin to close a $2 billion investment in Binance.    

Freight Technologies, Inc. (“Fr8Tech”), a Mexico-based company, announces that it has raised $20 million in capital, which “is exclusively earmarked for purchasing Official Trump Tokens ($TRUMP), making Fr8Tech one of the first public companies to make $TRUMP a cornerstone of its digital asset strategy.”

Javier Selgas, the CEO of Fr8Tech, explained the company’s strategy: “We believe that the addition of the Official Trump tokens are an excellent way to diversify our crypto treasury, and also an effective way to advocate for fair, balanced, and free trade between Mexico and the US.”

The UAE-based DWF Labs announces that it has purchased $25 million in $WLFI governance tokens “in a strategic private transaction,” as well as plans to open an office in New York City.

200 million meme coins were initially released for sale, with plans to sell approximately 1 billion meme coins released over three years.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Binance executives met with Treasury Department officials in March to discuss “loosening U.S. government oversight on the company,” including the removing “a U.S. monitor that oversees the exchange’s compliance with anti-money-laundering laws.”​

DWF Labs describes WLF as “the decentralized finance protocol and governance platform inspired by President Donald J. Trump.”

In a memorandum to all Department of Justice employees, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche directs prosecutors not to pursue criminal charges involving digital assets unless the case relates to “individuals who victimize digital asset investors, or those who use digital assets in furtherance of criminal offenses such as terrorism, narcotics and human trafficking, organized crime, hacking, and cartel and gang financing.”​

​As a result of the policy shift, the DOJ “will no longer target virtual currency exchanges, mixing and tumbling services, and offline wallets for the acts of their end users or unwitting violations of regulations.”

President Trump reportedly pardons three co-founders of the BitMEX cryptocurrency exchange,

as well as a former employee, after the company had previously pleaded guilty to “violating the Bank Secrecy Act by willfully failing to establish, implement, and maintain an adequate anti-money laundering (‘AML’) program.” In Jan. 2025, BitMEX was sentenced to pay a $100 million fine for its violations.

Fortune estimates that President Trump’s crypto assets were worth $2.9 billion and his non-crypto assets were worth $4.8 billion as of the middle of the month.

Based on these estimates, the combined value of Trump’s crypto and non-crypto assets would be approximately $7.7 billion. If accurate, Trump’s crypto assets would therefore comprise approximately 37% of his total assets.

According to an analysis by Reuters, the “Trump family is currently entitled to about $400 million in fees” from WLF’s token sales.  

WLF states that it has sold “$550 million USD in WLFI tokens,” with $300 million in sales from the “first set” and $250 million from the “second set.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that the Trump family’s representatives “have held talks to take a financial stake in the U.S. arm of crypto exchange Binance.”

Changpeng Zhao founded Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, in 2017. In November 2023, Binance and Zhao pleaded guilty to anti-money laundering, unlicensed money transmitting, and sanctions violations. Binance allegedly allowed money to flow to terrorists, cybercriminals and child abusers. As a result of the guilty pleas, Zhao stepped down as Binance’s CEO and served several months in prison. Binance also agreed to pay more than $4 billion in fines. According to the WSJ, Zhao has been seeking a presidential pardon from Trump.

The Financial Times reports that Trump’s “Crypto Project made at least” $350 million “from the launch of his memecoin.” 

Trump orders the U.S. government to establish a strategic bitcoin reserve and to stockpile digital assets.

The White House Counsel’s office grants David Sacks, Trump’s White House Crypto Czar, a waiver for assets including his investment in BitGo, Inc.

At the time of the waiver, BitGo, Inc. accounts for 2.468% of Sacks’ total assets in digital asset-related companies. Later in the month, WLF will announce that it has partnered with BitGo on its USD1 stablecoin.

In a letter to a district judge, the SEC and Justin Sun’s defense counsel jointly request a stay in the government’s civil fraud case against Sun, who was charged nearly two years earlier.

During a conference held in Hong Kong, WLF co-founder Zachary Folkman credits Justin Sun with “much of its early success.”

According to CoinDesk, Folkman gestured to Sun and said: “This guy saw that regardless of the outcome, this project is a monumental move forward for the entire crypto community.”  ​In addition to Sun’s investment in $WLFI, WLF also purchased “$10 million worth of TRX tokens — the native token of Sun’s TRON blockchain — and WBTC, a Sun-linked bitcoin derivative.”

As of this date, according to an analysis by Reuters, $TRUMP had generated trading fees between $86 million to $100 million.

By this date, the Trump’s family business, DT Marks DEFI LLC, reportedly owns “approximately 60%” of WLF — a decrease from their reported 75% ownership stake at the end of December.

President Trump issues Executive Order 14178 “to establish a regulatory framework that will promote the growth of digital assets and financial technology.”

The policy specifically endorses dollar-backed stablecoins developed by the private sector and rejects the development of central bank digital currencies — the policy position previously under serious study by the Biden administration to mitigate against “significant illicit finance risks, including money laundering, cybercrime and ransomware, narcotics and human trafficking, and terrorism and proliferation financing”. (See Executive Order 14067, issued on Mar. 9, 2022.)

Donald Trump is inaugurated as the 47th President of the United States.

Melania Trump launches her own meme coin, $Melania, via social media.

WLF announces that it has sold its 20% of its token supply and will be offering “an additional block of 5% of token supply.” 

Justin Sun announces his company invested “an additional $45 million” in WLF, “bringing the total investment to $75 million.”

Trump announces $TRUMP meme coin on social media and promotes the website for purchasing the coin.