Forwarded the Original Title: The Trump Family Launches Coins, Crypto Market Loses $100 Billion in a Day: Retail Investors Take a Massive Hit

U.S. President Trump launched the personal meme coin “TRUMP”, which skyrocketed from $0.2 to $70 within just two days, with its fully diluted market cap (FDV) surpassing $70 billion at one point. Meanwhile, Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, also introduced her own token, “MELANIA,” sparking market frenzy and volatility. The soaring valuation of TRUMP coin boosted the Trump family’s assets by $50 billion. However, MELANIA coin has faced skepticism due to its short-term unlock mechanism and hasty launch. In the midst of this, Bitcoin’s price plummeted from $106,000 to $99,550 within four hours, leading to a $200 billion wipeout in the total crypto market cap and liquidations amounting to $1.164 billion. Industry voices are calling for stricter regulations, with many reminiscing about former SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s regulatory style, believing his return could curb such market chaos.

Monetizing Power: The Meteoric Rise of TRUMP Coin

Trump is back in the headlines—not for lawsuits or speeches, but for diving straight into the crypto market with his own coin, “TRUMP.” Overnight, the market went wild as the coin surged from $0.2 to $70 in less than two days, pushing its FDV to an astonishing $70 billion.

What does this mean? Trump’s net worth instantly ballooned by $50 billion—an amount that took the Trump family 200 years to build, but was achieved within a single day. Even Bitcoin’s mysterious creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, would have to acknowledge him as a “big shot.”

Initially, some suspected the coin was a prank by Trump’s son or a hacking incident. However, it turns out to be a well-orchestrated “family business.” A whopping 80% of the token supply is tightly controlled by two Trump-affiliated companies—CIC Digital LLC and Fight Fight Fight LLC. These companies not only hold the majority of the supply but also take a cut from each transaction—a textbook example of power monetization. At the current price, selling 24 million TRUMP coins monthly would bring Trump an annual income exceeding $20 billion. Compared to his past real estate and media ventures, the crypto space has become the new goldmine.

The Whole Family Joins In: MELANIA Coin Rushes to Market

If you thought TRUMP coin was the whole story, think again. Less than 24 hours after its launch, Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, jumped on the bandwagon with her own meme coin, “MELANIA.”

The couple turned the crypto space into their family business, almost as if they were setting up a festive market stall.

However, the launch of MELANIA coin seemed overly rushed:

• The team allocated 35% of the total supply to themselves, with only a 30-day lock-up period. The allocation of 20% to the treasury and another 20% to the community left many puzzled. The MELANIA team’s allocation will start unlocking 10% (3% of the total supply) after 30 days, with the remaining tokens being unlocked linearly over 13 months at a rate of 2.25% of the total supply per month.
• The project’s website and domain were registered just a day before its launch, making it seem hastily put together and raising concerns about whether it was a rushed copycat project.
• Surprisingly, the coin was listed on some third-tier exchanges, with influencers hyping it up aggressively—scam tactics have never been so efficient.

In comparison, the TRUMP coin team at least has a three-year lock-up period, making it appear slightly more credible. But the MELANIA coin’s approach openly signals its cash-grab intent. Blockchain ideals? Decentralization? Those are left to the community to worry about.

Now the question arises: with Trump and his wife both launching coins, who else in their family will follow suit? Will Trump’s children enter the fray with their own tokens? Perhaps in the coming weeks, we’ll see “IVANKA Coin,” “DON JR. Coin,” or even “BARRON Coin.”

Is it really that easy for anyone to launch a cryptocurrency? If launching tokens becomes a family tradition, will the dream of decentralization be reduced to a joke of “centralized family dominance?”

The Illusion of the “First Coin”: From Peak to Reality Check in Just 12 Hours

As soon as the TRUMP coin launched and its price soared, many fans began dreaming big. They chanted slogans like “The World’s First Coin,” “Replacing Bitcoin,” and even claimed it to be “the only chance to surpass the U.S. dollar.” However, while their dreams were grand, reality proved to be harsh. The bubble burst the moment Trump’s wife announced her own token launch. Within just one hour, the price of TRUMP coin plummeted from $75 to a low of $40, marking a staggering 48% decline.

It was only then that retail investors realized this was just another one of Trump’s classic schemes to cash in on his followers. From the very beginning, TRUMP coin was never meant to become the “number one coin.” Its essence is no different from Trump’s previous ventures—be it baseball cards, wine, or steaks—all short-term cash grabs leveraging his celebrity influence.

Ryan Selkis, founder of Messari, publicly voiced his concerns, suggesting that Trump should immediately fire those who advised him to launch MELANIA coin. He bluntly stated that the team lacks professionalism, the project is of poor quality, and this move not only risks financial losses but could also severely damage Trump’s brand reputation.

Crash Warning: The Crypto Market Pays the Price Together

The aftermath of the Trump family’s meme coin drama became apparent almost immediately. Within just three hours of Melania Trump announcing her coin, Bitcoin fell from $106,000 to $99,550 within four hours—a seemingly moderate 6% drop, but it wiped out a staggering $200 billion from the total crypto market capitalization. Retail investors suffered the most, with 400,000 liquidation events occurring in the past 24 hours, amounting to a total loss of $1.164 billion. The largest single liquidation hit a value of $15.24 million. Those who bought in at the peak saw their funds “vanish in an instant.”

Furthermore, this fiasco dragged down a host of altcoins, with many seeing declines of over 15%. In essence, while the Trump family was busy cashing out on their fans, they also inadvertently dragged the entire crypto market down with them.

Where Is That Man?

The reckless moves by the Trump family have not only inflicted heavy losses on the crypto market but also reignited discussions about regulatory oversight. Many investors are now longing for the return of one man—former SEC Chair Gary Gensler. Had he still been in office, meme coins like these, launched as a family affair, likely wouldn’t have even passed exchange listings.

A sincere suggestion: rehire Gary with a high salary. This market truly needs someone to bring order.

Lesson Learned: Don’t Let Your Wallet Become Someone Else’s ATM

From TRUMP coin to MELANIA coin, these two meme coins have perfectly demonstrated the essence of a “pump-and-dump” scheme. Whether it’s the excessive control by the team or the short-term unlock mechanisms, everything about their design screams “quick in, quick out” for short-term profits. For retail investors, projects like these are essentially a “zero-sum game”—what you earn is exactly what someone else loses.

A deeper issue is that this meme coin frenzy is eroding trust in the market. The crypto industry is already fraught with bubbles, and when combined with celebrity influence and speculative capital, the result is retail investors rushing in like lambs to the slaughter while the teams cash out their unlocked tokens.

Conclusion: Invest Rationally, Avoid Emotional Decisions

The Trump family’s crypto spectacle serves as a valuable lesson for the market. Don’t be blinded by celebrity allure, and never believe in the myth of easy money falling from the sky. The crypto market is a high-risk investment arena—only those who approach it rationally and conduct thorough research can survive this game.

Remember one crucial phrase: you’re not trading coins, you’re trading emotions. And your emotions are the perfect tool for others to make money. Don’t let your wallet become someone else’s ATM.

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1. This article is reproduced from [Marsbit]. Forwarded the Original Title: The Trump Family Launches Coins, Crypto Market Loses $100 Billion in a Day: Retail Investors Take a Massive Hit. The copyright belongs to the original author [Alvis]. If you have any objection to the reprint, please contact Gate Learn team and the team will handle it as soon as possible according to relevant procedures.
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