Donald Trump And Melania Launch Their Own Cryptocurrency, Trying To 'Capitalize' On Trump's Presidency

Politics and business are two different things, and generally, they should not cross path.

This is because politics focuses on governance, public policy, and the welfare of society as a whole, whereas business is all about generating profit.

So in theory, their goals are polar opposites—one prioritizes societal welfare, and the other prioritizes private gain.

The thing is, they frequently intersect due to their inherent influence on one another.

This time, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has made waves with the launch of his own cryptocurrency, which has skyrocketed in value shortly after its debut.

The meme coin, dubbed $Trump, was unveiled just days before Trump is set to take office as the 47th President of the U.S. on Monday.

"My NEW Official Trump Meme is HERE! It's time to celebrate everything we stand for: WINNING!" Trump said in a post via his Truth Social platform and also on the X platform.

This venture was organized by CIC Digital LLC, an affiliate of the Trump Organization, known for marketing Trump-branded merchandise such as shoes and fragrances.

CIC Digital LLC and Fight Fight Fight LLC, a company formed in Delaware earlier this month, own 80% of the tokens. It's worth noting that it's initially unclear how much money Trump might make from the venture.

The Delaware-based company that was only established earlier this month, hold 80% of the tokens.

They marketed $Trump with a picture of Trump holding a fist up superimposed over the words “FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT,” a reference to Trump’s response to an assassination attempt at a political rally in July.

The website that sells $Trump included a disclaimer emphasizing that the token is "not intended to be, or the subject of" an investment opportunity or security, and it claimed the project is "not political and has nothing to do with" any political campaign, office, or government agency.

In promoting the meme coin that has his name on it, Trump told supporters to “Have Fun!”

But this hasn’t stopped people from trying to make easy money.

$Trump started selling for $10 each before soaring to as high as about $70 as of Sunday morning. In other words, in just mere hours after its launch, the value of $Trump tokens surged to nearly $5.5 billion.

Donald Trump isn't the only one who is trying to "capitalize" on this trend of his.

His wife, Melania, posted about a meme coin for her.

on the eve of her husband's inauguration as U.S. President, she launched $Melania.

"The Official Melania Meme is live! You can buy $MELANIA now," she posted on both Truth Social and X.

The website for the "Official Melania Meme" said that the token is created and tracked on the Solana blockchain.

And just like $Trump, the disclaimers on the website that sells $Melania also said that it's "not intended to be, or the subject of" an investment opportunity or a security.

The price of $Melania also skyrockets, with its price reaching over $1 billion in a short amount of time.

Read: How Melania Trump's Nude Photos Resurfaced When Her Husband Readied Himself To Be U.S. President

Cryptocurrencies are traded on a digital ledger technology called blockchain, and are highly speculative and lack inherent value, making them extremely volatile investments.

Meme coins are cryptocurrencies that are typically created to capitalize on viral internet trends or movements. This makes them even more volatile.

Meme coins are strange, and are often created as a joke, with even no real value. But depending on how people perceive them and how many people are willing to buy them, the price can fluctuate almost instantly.

Dogecoin, the cryptocurrency whose mascot is a dog that muses things like “much wow,” is perhaps the most well known.

Once promoted by Elon Musk, the meme coin is one of the longest-lasting meme coins that remain high in value.

Previously, Trump, who is set to enter the White House for the second time, has been very vocal about his support for cryptocurrency.

He plans to make cryptocurrency a national priority by releasing an executive order and giving people from the industry a space within his administration, and among others, this has made the price of Bitcoin to reach its highest price ever since its first inception.

Read: Bitcoin Reaches $100,000 Is Making It Enter Unchartered Territory With Known Consequences