Wall Street Millennial
June 13, 2026
TL;DR
The Trump family has profited $2.3 billion from multiple crypto ventures while investors have suffered equivalent losses, operating a wealth transfer scheme with projects like World Liberty Financial and American Bitcoin.
“All the crypto is down right now, so you can't squarely blame it on Trump.”
— Texas business owner who invested in American Bitcoin
“The Trump family has profited to the tune of $2.3 billion from its various crypto ventures. This was offset almost exactly by losses suffered by the investors in the ventures.”
— Narrator
1. Trump's Crypto Empire Overview
During his 2024 campaign, Trump promised to be pro-crypto, receiving $100+ million in donations. The Trump family launched multiple crypto ventures and profited $2.3 billion while investors lost the same amount—a pure wealth transfer with no real economic value creation.
2. World Liberty Financial Structure
Launched September 2024, World Liberty Financial is 75% Trump-owned and created the WLFI governance token and USD1 stablecoin. The company raised $550 million by selling WLFI tokens, with $400+ million going directly to the Trump family.
3. WLFI Token's Economic Worthlessness
WLFI tokens are governance tokens but have no mechanism for profit participation, buybacks, or burns. All protocol revenue goes to the for-profit World Liberty company owned by Trump family. Tokens were non-tradable at launch despite being sold to investors.
4. Justin Sun Investment and SEC Settlement
Justin Sun, founder of Tron, purchased $75 million of WLFI while under SEC investigation for alleged cryptocurrency manipulation. Shortly after his purchase, the Trump-controlled SEC resolved the investigation with only a $10 million settlement.
5. UAE Investments and Geopolitical Favors
A UAE government entity invested $500 million for 49% equity in World Liberty Financial. Following this investment, the Trump administration loosened semiconductor export controls on UAE. Additionally, UAE invested $2 billion in stablecoins, generating $60 million annual interest for World Liberty.
6. Alt 5 Sigma's Catastrophic Investment
Alt 5 Sigma announced plans to become a WLFI treasury company, purchasing 7.3 billion WLFI tokens for $1.5 billion through a dilutive financing arrangement that increased its share count over 10-fold. The WLFI tokens are now worth ~$440 million with a 12-month lockup.
7. CZ Pardon and Binance Connection
Binance founder CZ pleaded guilty to money laundering in 2023 and served 4 months. In October 2025, Trump pardoned him, removing his criminal record and allowing him to potentially return to Binance.
8. Investor Losses and Market Collapse
Alt 5 Sigma stock collapsed from $6 to $0.64 after the dilutive capital raise. American Bitcoin, another Trump-backed venture, fell from $4.19 to $0.83. Retail investors face massive unrealized losses while the Trump family withdraws cash profits.