Trump Crypto Ventures Cost Investors $4.7B, Public Citizen Reports

Nonprofit consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen reported that US President Donald Trump and his family have left investors an estimated $4.7 billion underwater since 2022 through a series of digital asset ventures, including the Official Trump (TRUMP) memecoin, the World Liberty Financial governance token, his nonfungible token (NFT) trading cards launched in 2022, and Trump Media's digital asset treasury.

The bulk of the losses—approximately $3.2 billion—stemmed from the TRUMP memecoin, with Public Citizen noting that those losses represented "wealth transferred to a small group of early buyers rather than money that simply vanished." By contrast, investors in World Liberty Financial's USD1 stablecoin "haven't suffered major losses." Meanwhile, Trump personally earned $7.2 million from NFT licensing fees and royalties, more than $600 million from World Liberty Financial token sales and the sale of an equity stake, $635 million in memecoin licensing fees, and $197 million in revenue from capital contributions to World Liberty. His 2025 financial disclosures reported $1.4 billion in earnings tied to crypto, not including stakes he continues to hold.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly has repeatedly dismissed concerns about Trump's crypto holdings, stating there are "no conflicts of interest." However, a separate poll found that most Americans consider the Trump family's crypto investments "not appropriate." Public Citizen renewed its calls for ethics provisions in the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act, arguing that "the president's policy choices and personal portfolio cannot be separated" and that any market structure legislation should require a sitting US president and his immediate family to divest from industry projects.

The report comes as Trump met with crypto industry executives last week to advocate for a "fair version" of the CLARITY Act once the Senate returns from recess, with a potential vote on the bill still weeks away. Cointelegraph reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive an immediate response.