Donald Trump likes to keep the world on its toes – but the surprise launch of Official Trump Coin ($TRUMP) on the eve of his presidency was a move absolutely nobody anticipated.
In less than 24 hours, it captured global attention and reached tens of billions in market capitalization. But how did it come to be, why did Trump launch the coin two days before his inauguration, and what are its implications for the crypto market?
In this article, we’ll explore the Official Trump crypto coin: tokenomics, partnerships, controversies, and how it fits into Donald Trump’s broader brand.
Official Trump is a Solana-based memecoin launched on January 18, 2025. Much like other memecoins on the market, $TRUMP has no intrinsic value or use cases (so far). Instead, Trump’s token thrives on hype, narrative, and the US president’s polarizing personality.
The token launched at the Zenith of political buzz surrounding the inauguration, as well as the rumored Crypto ball. While there’s no official “mission statement” on the TRUMP memes website, the coin appears to be a nod to online meme culture, signalling Trump’s intent to remain culturally relevant and crypto friendly. As with other memecoins, $TRUMP’s key mission seems to be galvanizing his global community.
Trump’s coin debut may be one of the most talked-about launches in crypto history. During its first 48 hours, $TRUMP saw explosive price action, surging over 4000%, with trading volumes reaching billions. This alone inflated Trump’s estimated worth from ~$6 billion to more than $60 billion.
The tokenomics of the token are available on the TRUMP website. While relatively straightforward, they’ll play a critical role in its market dynamics. Here’s a breakdown of the key elements:
It’s important to note that unlike many of the memecoins on Solana, $TRUMP didn’t launch through the Pump.fun platform.
The first partnership of Trump’s memecoin was with no other than World Liberty Financial (WLF). This came as little to no surprise for many since WLF is a DeFi crypto project focused on blockchain-based payment solutions, backed by Trump and his family.
For Trump’s memecoin, the partnership provides credibility and integration with a broader financial ecosystem, though skeptics question the substance of this arrangement.
The big question of the days is, why did Trump even launch a memecoin? There might be more than a single answer to that. It could be a strategic move that serves a couple of purposes:
Despite its popularity, the launch of $TRUMP has sparked significant criticism for its timing and implications. Nic Carter, co-founder and general partner at Castle Island Ventures shared his concerns on X that this move could cause problems in the future. A couple of reasons people are skeptical of the Trump memecoin include:
Both the $TRUMP memecoin and the $DJT stock represent ways to invest in Donald Trump’s brand. But they appeal to vastly different audiences.
While $DJT reflects Trump’s business aspirations, $TRUMP captures the playful and speculative side of his brand.
Defying all logic, alongside $TRUMP, Melania also launched her own token called $MELANIA. Similarly to the president’s memecoin, it launched on Solana and reached billions in market capitalization in less than a day. Furthermore, the launch of Melania’s token caused a significant price drop in $TRUMP.
At the same time, the tokenomics of $MELANIA are quite different from $TRUMP. The team holds 35% of the supply and an additional 20% in the token’s treasury. Unlike $TRUMP, $MELANIA team tokens will only be locked for 30 days and get fully vested by month 13.
No partnerships have been announced so far and it’s unclear whether we’ll continue to see more tokens of Trump family members.
Trump’s memecoin represents a bold experiment at the intersection of politics, culture, and blockchain technology. Its explosive launch and accompanying controversies make it a unique case in the crypto world. Whether you intend to buy TRUMP coin or not, it will be revealing to see how this novel event is absorbed into the coming presidency, and the larger story of Donald Trump.