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An exchange-traded fund designed to mirror U.S. congressional stock trades and investments in Trump-linked companies could launch as early as Friday. The Tuttle Capital Government Grift ETF (GRFT) received SEC approval with an effective date of October 3, according to ETF analyst Eric Balchunas.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) confirmed that the fund’s registration statement will become effective on October 3, potentially clearing the way for its launch.
The Tuttle Capital Government Grift ETF, proposed earlier this year by Tuttle Capital Management, would track trades disclosed under the STOCK Act, which requires members of Congress and their spouses to report securities transactions. The fund would also invest in companies perceived to benefit from presidential backing, such as firms with executives tied to the White House or businesses publicly praised by the president.
“The Fund’s strategy is grounded in the belief that political actors particularly members of the U.S. Congress and individuals closely associated with the President can influence market outcomes or possess information that materially affects security pricing,” Tuttle wrote in its prospectus filing in June.
ETF analyst Eric Balchunas of Bloomberg said the ETF “could launch by Friday” if no last-minute delays occur.
The Tuttle Capital Government Grift ETF plans to hold between 10 and 30 stocks and ETFs, with position sizes reflecting the scale of congressional trading and the influence of presidential connections.
The fund could give investors exposure to Trump-connected crypto assets. Trump Media & Technology Group (NASDAQ: DJT) reportedly holds Bitcoin valued at around $1.7Billion, while American Bitcoin Corp (ABTC), a mining company backed by the Trump family, represents another potential holding.
Trump’s media company, Trump Media & Technology Group (NASDAQ: DJT), reportedly holds 15,000 Bitcoin, valued at around $1.7 billion, according to public filings. Its subsidiary, Truth Social, has even had spot crypto ETFs filed on its behalf.
Another example is American Bitcoin Corp (ABTC), a publicly traded mining company backed by the Trump family. Trump-linked memecoins including tokens named after both him and former First Lady Melania Trump also highlight the blurred lines between politics and speculative assets.
Political influence and crypto markets have become increasingly intertwined, said Joe Carlasare, crypto litigator at Amundsen Davis, in a recent interview. If the Tuttle Capital Government Grift ETF includes such companies, it will test investor appetite for politically sensitive assets.
Tuttle already manages several leveraged exchange-traded products that track cryptocurrencies like XRP, Solana, Litecoin, and Chainlink, catering to traders seeking amplified exposure. The new Tuttle Capital Government Grift ETF would extend that playbook into the intersection of politics and finance.
Its launch also coincides with broader shifts in the U.S. regulatory landscape. Earlier this month, the SEC approved generic listing standards for crypto ETFs, a change analysts believe will accelerate approvals of spot products.
“Generic listing standards make the 19b-4s and their ‘clock’ meaningless,” Balchunas noted on X. “That just leaves the S-1s waiting for a formal green light from Corp Finance.”
ETF specialist James Seyffart added in a Bloomberg Intelligence note that the change paves the way for a wave of spot crypto ETP launches.
Dozens of applications for new crypto ETFs remain under SEC review, expanding beyond the spot Bitcoin and Ether ETFs currently available. The potential overlap between politically influenced trades and crypto holdings could make the Tuttle Capital Government Grift ETF a particularly timely addition.
Critics warn that the Tuttle Capital Government Grift ETF risks politicizing investment decisions. By tracking congressional trades and presidentially linked firms, the product could face heightened scrutiny from regulators and investors alike.
Transparency in political trading is important, but turning it into an investment strategy introduces new ethical and market risks, said Sarah Bryne, governance researcher at the Center for Responsive Politics (OpenSecrets).
Supporters argue the ETF merely formalizes strategies that retail traders are already pursuing through social media platforms tracking congressional disclosures. If successful, it could highlight the influence of political actors on markets while offering investors a chance to align with or profit from those trades.
The SEC’s effective date of October 3 means the Tuttle Capital Government Grift ETF could begin trading by week’s end, barring last-minute amendments. If launched, it would stand out as one of the most politically charged ETFs on the market, blending elements of governance, transparency, and speculative investing.
Whether investors embrace it as a transparency tool or reject it as a politicized product remains to be seen. But as the intersection of politics and finance grows sharper, the Tuttle Capital Government Grift ETF underscores how far Wall Street is willing to go to capture market interest.
