Trump cost investors $4.7B through crypto ‘schemes’: Public Citizen
Reported by Cointelegraph · AI-assisted summary by ChikoCorp AI News Desk
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Summary
Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, reported that former US President Donald Trump caused investors to lose at least an estimated $4.7 billion through his and his family's digital asset ventures since 2022. These losses are linked to the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial governance token, Trump’s NFTs, the Official Trump (TRUMP) memecoin, and Trump Media’s digital asset treasury. The largest losses, approximately $3.2 billion, came from the TRUMP memecoin investors, while World Liberty Financial’s stablecoin investors have largely avoided major losses.
Why it matters
The report highlights significant financial harm to investors connected to a former US president’s crypto ventures, raising concerns about conflicts of interest and ethics in the cryptocurrency market. Public Citizen has called for ethics provisions in the pending Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act to require that the president and family divest from crypto projects, emphasizing that policy choices and personal investments cannot be separated.
Key context
Trump has earned substantial revenues from these ventures, including $7.2 million from NFT royalties, over $600 million from World Liberty token activities, $635 million from memecoin licensing fees, and $197 million from capital contributions. Some of these figures appear in Trump’s 2025 financial disclosures. Trump recently met with crypto executives advocating for a "fair" CLARITY Act, which is scheduled for a Senate cloture vote on September 15, requiring 60 votes to advance.
Key numbers and entities
The $4.7 billion estimate in investor losses includes $3.2 billion from TRUMP memecoin buyers. Trump earned $7.2 million from NFT royalties, $600+ million from World Liberty token sales and equity, $635 million from memecoin licensing fees, and $197 million from capital contributions. The CLARITY Act is the pending legislation relevant to crypto market regulation. Trump Media and the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial are key referenced entities.
What remains unclear
The report does not establish the detailed mechanics of how these losses occurred or the precise impact on individual investors. It also does not clarify the ongoing status or future outlook of Trump’s holdings in these ventures. No response from the White House on the matter was received at the time of reporting.