Trump-Backed Crypto Token Begins Trading With $5 Billion Family Stake

A cryptocurrency launched by the Trump family has entered public trading, instantly valuing the holdings of the U.S. president and his sons at roughly $5 billion (£3.7 billion).

The Trumps unveiled World Liberty Financial in the midst of last year’s presidential campaign, sparking scrutiny over possible conflicts of interest as Donald Trump deepened ties to an industry he would directly oversee as head of state.

The venture raised funds by selling its namesake WLFI digital tokens to investors, though initial buyers were restricted from reselling. In July, however, investors approved a measure allowing early participants—excluding founders such as the Trumps—to sell up to 20 percent of their stakes. The WLFI token is now publicly listed.

On Tuesday, WLFI was priced at around $0.22 on major platforms including Binance and Coinbase. That marked a nearly 50 percent decline since trading began on Monday, a drop that signals lackluster demand. Even so, the coin remains above the entry price for many early investors, leaving them positioned for gains.

“We’re setting a new standard for financial freedom; built on trust, speed, and U.S. values,” Eric Trump posted on social media. “This is a huge moment for the future of money!”

Financial disclosure filings show Donald Trump personally holds approximately 15.75 billion WLFI tokens, currently worth more than $3.4 billion. That makes crypto the largest single source of his personal fortune. In total, the Trump family controls just under a quarter of the 100 billion WLFI coins minted last year, a share valued near $5 billion at current market levels.

The family also benefits from a revenue stream tied to token sales, an arrangement that has already generated in excess of $500 million, according to calculations by Reuters. That haul was boosted last month when World Liberty Financial struck a deal with another publicly listed company that raised $750 million to purchase WLFI. The unusual structure effectively placed the firm in the position of both buyer and seller of its own token.

Democrats have repeatedly voiced concerns over Trump’s foray into crypto, warning that World Liberty Financial and similar ventures amount to instruments of corruption, conflicts of interest, and political profiteering. The Trump administration has dismissed those allegations, even as the president has overseen a sharp policy pivot in Washington’s approach to digital assets.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the administration’s stance, saying its measures were “driving innovation and economic opportunity for all Americans.” She added: “The media’s continued attempts to fabricate conflicts of interest are irresponsible and reinforce the public’s distrust in what they read. Neither the President nor his family have ever engaged, or will ever engage, in conflicts of interest.”

Under the Biden administration, token offerings like WLFI had been subject to strict scrutiny. Officials argued they resembled stock sales and should be governed under existing securities regulations, including disclosure rules and conflict-of-interest safeguards.

Trump, by contrast, campaigned on the promise of turning the United States into the “crypto capital of the world” and pledged a lighter regulatory touch. His government has already followed through on that approach: the Department of Justice shut down its crypto crimes task force last month, while financial regulators have repudiated earlier guidance.

“Despite what the SEC has said in the past, most crypto assets are not securities,” Paul Atkins, Trump’s appointee to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission, declared in a July speech. “We need a regulatory framework for crypto asset securities that allows these products to flourish within American markets.”

By fLEXI tEAM