Trump earned $1 billion from crypto in 2025 as token holders lose 98%
The latest criticism comes as new financial disclosures reveal massive crypto-related earnings for President Donald Trump while many token holders continue to suffer steep losses.
President Donald Trump earned more than $1 billion from crypto-related ventures in 2025, according to newly released financial disclosures, even as most retail buyers of his TRUMP and MELANIA tokens remain deeply underwater. The disclosures have amplified criticism from economist Peter Schiff, who says the tokens function as a legal way to buy access to the president.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Peter Schiff Show, Schiff argued that the value proposition behind the TRUMP and MELANIA meme coins extends beyond speculation. According to him, many buyers are not seeking financial returns but are instead paying for access to the U.S. president. His comments have reignited concerns from lawmakers and ethics experts over the intersection of politics, digital assets, and financial influence.
The criticism comes as blockchain data and market performance continue to paint a difficult picture for retail investors who bought into the projects during their peak popularity earlier this year.
Why Peter Schiff says Trump meme coins enable political influence
Schiff centered much of his criticism on what he believes is the true motivation behind purchases of Trump meme coins. Rather than viewing them as speculative crypto assets, he claimed that high-value buyers are effectively purchasing proximity to the president.
“He’s actually had events at the White House where the top owners of Trump coin are allowed to attend,” Schiff said during the podcast. “But it’s really a way to bribe the president. You don’t have to give him money directly, just buy his token, because who else would buy the token? It’s a lousy investment.”
His remarks refer to reports that top holders of the TRUMP token were invited to exclusive events associated with the president. While supporters argue such gatherings are promotional activities common in the crypto industry, critics contend they blur the line between political fundraising, commercial ventures, and access to elected officials.
Schiff has long criticized cryptocurrencies, particularly Bitcoin, but his latest comments target what he sees as the ethical implications surrounding Trump meme coins rather than the broader digital asset market.
The allegations also echo concerns previously raised by Democratic lawmakers, who have questioned whether politically branded cryptocurrencies could create opportunities for wealthy domestic and foreign investors to gain influence through token purchases.
Investors continue to absorb heavy losses
Market performance has done little to counter Schiff’s arguments. According to CoinGecko, the TRUMP token recently traded around $1.71, representing a decline of nearly 98% from its January 2025 all-time high of $73.43. Meanwhile, the MELANIA token changed hands near $0.078, down more than 99% from its peak of $13.05.
The steep declines have translated into widespread losses for investors.
A report by The Wall Street Journal, citing blockchain analytics firm Nansen, found that roughly two-thirds of TRUMP token holders are currently holding unrealized losses. The trend is even broader across Trump-linked crypto projects. Around 85% of investors who acquired World Liberty Financial’s WLFI token on the secondary market are also reportedly sitting on paper losses.
For Schiff, those figures reinforce his belief that Trump meme coins have delivered far greater rewards to insiders than to retail participants.
“Everybody named Trump is making money, but the people who bought those tokens lost everything on those tokens,” he said.
Despite the losses, some market participants argue that meme coins are inherently speculative assets driven by community engagement and social momentum rather than traditional valuation metrics. As with other meme tokens, extreme price volatility was widely expected from the outset.
Schiff’s comments gained additional traction after President Trump’s latest federal financial disclosure revealed substantial income tied to his cryptocurrency ventures.
The 927-page filing shows that CIC Digital, an entity linked to Trump, generated approximately $636 million in meme coin royalties during the past year. The disclosure also lists around $515 million in revenue from World Liberty Financial token sales.
Together, those figures underscore how digital assets have become a major component of Trump’s business portfolio.
The disclosure has renewed public debate over the financial and ethical implications of elected officials maintaining significant commercial interests in the cryptocurrency sector while serving in office.
Supporters argue that the ventures are legal business activities disclosed under federal ethics requirements. Critics, however, believe the scale of the earnings warrants closer examination, particularly when investors continue to pour money into politically affiliated digital assets.
Political and regulatory questions continue to grow
The controversy surrounding Trump meme coins extends beyond market performance and into Washington.
Earlier this year, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Jake Auchincloss warned that the tokens could provide foreign buyers with a pathway to gain favor with the administration.
In a January 2025 statement, the lawmakers argued that the crypto projects could allow overseas investors to “curry influence with the administration,” raising national security and ethics concerns.
Those warnings have become increasingly relevant as Trump-linked crypto ventures continue to expand and generate significant revenues. Although there is currently no evidence that purchasing the tokens guarantees political favors or official influence, ethics experts have continued to debate whether such projects create the appearance of conflicts of interest.
As regulatory scrutiny of politically affiliated digital assets increases, Trump meme coins are likely to remain at the center of discussions over transparency, investor protection, and the role of cryptocurrency in modern politics.
With retail investors still nursing substantial losses, billions of dollars flowing through Trump-linked crypto businesses, and critics questioning the relationship between token ownership and political access, the controversy shows little sign of fading. Whether regulators choose to intervene or allow market forces to dictate the outcome, Trump meme coins have become one of the most closely watched—and most divisive—stories in the digital asset industry.
