Trump has made a fortune with his crypto empire as other lost out - he called it a ‘scam’ in 2021

Key Points:

• President Donald Trump remotely rang the opening bells of the NYSE and Nasdaq to promote “Trump accounts,” which aim to give newborns $1,000 in savings funded by federal money and private donations.
• Despite previously calling Bitcoin a “scam,” Trump and his family made over $1.4 billion in 2025 through their cryptocurrency ventures, while many everyday investors suffered significant losses.
• The Trump family’s crypto firm, World Liberty Financial, launched in late 2024 with backing from an Abu Dhabi royal’s company, which secretly purchased nearly half the firm and funneled $187 million to Trump family entities.
• Trump’s meme coin generated about $636 million in 2025, but roughly two-thirds of investors lost money, totaling $3.81 billion in losses, highlighting a stark divide between elite financial gains and retail investor losses.
• The Trump administration scaled back crypto regulations and pardoned convicted fraudsters, while foreign investors linked to World Liberty gained favorable deals, including access to advanced U.S. AI chips and stakes in TikTok’s U.S. operations.