Trump Family Crypto Ventures Cost Investors Over $4.7 Billion, Public Citizen Report Finds
A new report from the watchdog group Public Citizen reveals that investors in cryptocurrency schemes launched by the Trump family have collectively lost more than $4.7 billion. The findings, published Thursday, arrive as President Donald Trump urges the Senate to pass crypto market structure legislation next month.
Official Trump Memecoin Drives $3.2 Billion in Investor Losses
The Official Trump (TRUMP) memecoin stands as the primary source of losses, accounting for $3.2 billion. The president unveiled the token three days before beginning his second term. According to Public Citizen, the token surged to a trading price above $73 within two days of its launch before collapsing. It currently trades below $2, as reported by Cointelegraph and Raw Story.
Public Citizen emphasized that the $3.2 billion figure represents wealth transferred to early insiders rather than vanished funds. Data shows that 1% of wallets captured 80% of gains, while 65% of holders remain underwater, collectively nursing the $3.2 billion loss.
President Trump did not lose money on the venture. He neither invested nor spent cash on his wallet, which is valued at $271 million. Additionally, he earned $635 million in licensing fees from the token last year, according to Raw Story.
World Liberty Financial Tokens and NFT Trading Cards Add to Losses
World Liberty Financial’s governance token—linked to the project founded by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr.—accounts for at least another $1 billion in total losses. The token peaked at $0.33 in September 2025 and now trades below $0.06. Public Citizen notes that private purchasers who bought in at $0.015 or $0.05 are up 15% to 283%, while public market buyers near the peak may be down 83%.
The 2022 Trump NFT trading cards, initially sold at $99 each, saw overall value plummet from $12.3 million to $3 million, leaving holders nearly $9.3 million in losses. Trump collected $7.2 million in licensing fees and royalties from the cards.
One asset avoided significant harm. Public Citizen says that buyers of World Liberty’s USD1 stablecoin haven’t suffered major losses.
Trump’s Crypto Earnings Top $1.4 Billion Amid Investor Losses
The report tallies the former president’s earnings across these projects:
- $7.2 million from NFT trading cards
- $600 million-plus from World Liberty token sales and equity position
- $635 million from memecoin licensing fees
- $197 million in capital contributions to World Liberty
These figures align with Trump’s 2025 crypto-related earnings totaling $1.4 billion, excluding his equity positions in the companies.
The White House did not immediately respond to a Cointelegraph request for comment. Spokesperson Anna Kelly previously stated there were no conflicts of interest
regarding Trump’s crypto assets.
Public Citizen Urges Ethics Provisions in CLARITY Act
Zach Everson, research director for Public Citizen’s Trump Accountability Project and the report’s author, urged critics not to mock buyers. Trust me, I get the desire to sneer,
he wrote in a Thursday post, before arguing that buyers got screwed over nevertheless.
Public Citizen used the findings to renew its call 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 law should force a sitting president and his family to divest from the industry.
Legislative Timing and Senate Hurdles
The timing is deliberate. Trump met with crypto executives last week and called for a fair version
of the CLARITY Act to pass once the Senate reconvenes. The bill faces a cloture vote on September 15 and requires at least 60 senators to advance.
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