President Trump hosted the top holders of his memecoin at his Northern Virginia golf course Thursday for a private cryptocurrency-centric dinner.
“What a nice bunch,” Trump said as he addressed his VIP guests, before asking them if they were able to see the presidential helicopter land on the golf course.
Trump, who has pledged to ease federal regulations on alternative currencies, touted on Truth Social ahead of the gala that “The U.S.A. is DOMINATING in Crypto, Bitcoin, etc., and we are going to keep it that way!”
The top 220 holders of the president’s memecoin, called $TRUMP, were invited to the “Gala Dinner,” according to the coin’s website.
Collectively, the 220 winners spent $394 million on $TRUMP coins, with the top seven on the leaderboard having spent $10 million each, according to blockchain analytics company Nansen.
The leaderboard is anonymous, with usernames such as “MEOW,” “LSD,” “REKt” and “elon” appearing among the top 220.
White House pool reporters were not allowed inside the function, which was held about 25 miles from the White House at the Trump National Golf Club Washington, DC, in Sterling, Va
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to release a guest list earlier Thursday.
“The president is attending it in his personal time, it is not a White House dinner, it is not taking place here at the White House,” Leavitt said in response to a question about the identities of the dinner attendees.
The $TRUMP website notes that the president is “appearing at the dinner as a guest and not soliciting any funds for it.”
The organizers described the dinner last month as a “once-in-a-lifetime evening,” where attendees will have the opportunity to “learn about the future of Crypto!”
The top 25 Trump memecoin owners were also slated to receive an “ultra-exclusive private VIP reception“ with the commander in chief.
A recent Bloomberg analysis found that 19 of the top 25 bought the coin on international exchanges that exclude US-based customers – meaning they are likely foreign.
Critics of the dinner allege that foreign entities, which cannot contribute to US political campaigns, are trying to buy influence with the White House.
Chinese investor Justin Sun, a billionaire and founder of Tron, attended the gala and is the top holder of $TRUMP, owning more than $20 million in coins, according to the New York Times.
The outlet noted Sun was charged with fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2023, but his case was paused shortly after Trump took office.
CIC Digital LLC, an affiliate of The Trump Organization, and Fight Fight Fight LLC collectively own 80% of the digital currency – which was launched days before the president’s Jan. 20 inauguration.
About 100 people gathered outside Trump’s golf course to protest the event.
Some waved signs that read, “Stop Crypto Corruption,” “Release the guest list” and “America is not for sale.”
