$TRUMP Crypto Investors Say They Attended Private Gala With ‘Explicit Intent’ To Influence President Trump: Report
(AP Photo/John McDonnell)
President Donald Trump hosted a high-dollar dinner at his Trump National Golf Club in Washington for the top buyers of his personal memecoin that several attendees hoped to exploit to lobby the president.
The guests, according to The New York Times, many of them foreign investors, weren’t shy about their motivations to lobby on policy issues. Several of the guests told the newspaper that “they attended the event with the explicit intent of influencing Mr. Trump and U.S. financial regulations.”
The Trump campaign and the president’s business partners touted the dinner, which offered a White House tour and face time with Trump to the top 25 buyers, as the “most EXCLUSIVE INVITATION in the world.”
Outside, protesters chanted “shame” and held signs reading “Stop Crypto Corruption” and “USA Is Not For Sale,” while inside, tuxedoed attendees dined on filet mignon and halibut and posed for selfies with the president. The fee for access was based on a leaderboard structured on how many $TRUMP tokens an investor held over three weeks.
Among the guests was Chinese crypto mogul Justin Sun, who spent more than $40 million on the tokens to claim the top spot. Korean executive Sangrok Oh flew from Seoul, red hats reading “Make Crypto Great Again” in tow. Many, like Taiwanese investor Vincent Liu, said they were seeking Trump’s blessing to re-enter the U.S. crypto market after Biden-era crackdowns.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt denied the Times report: “It’s absurd for anyone to insinuate that this president is profiting off of the presidency. This president was incredibly successful before giving it all up to serve our country publicly.”
The event marks one of the most direct intersections yet between the Trump family’s business dealings and official power.
The Trump family, through a corporate entity, holds a significant stake in the coin and profits from every transaction. The memecoin has already generated over $320 million in fees.
