Crypto investor Nicholas Pinto attends President Donald Trump’s gala dinner for individuals who spent essentially the most cash on Trump’s meme coin, $TRUMP, in a contest, at Trump Nationwide Golf Membership in Potomac Falls, Virginia, Might 22, 2025.
Nicholas Pinto
The worth of President Donald Trump’s meme coin plunged 16% as of Friday morning, simply hours after he hosted a black-tie gala at his Virginia golf membership for its greatest patrons — an elite crowd that spent a mixed $148 million on the token for the prospect to be there.
It was billed as “essentially the most unique invitation on the planet.”
Among the many 220 attendees had been crypto influencers, trade executives comparable to Sandy Carter of Unstoppable Domains, and former NBA star Lamar Odom, who used the event to reward Trump as “the best president” and promote his personal token, $ODOM.
The highest 25 wallets had been promised a non-public reception and guided tour. Others, comparable to 25-year-old Nicholas Pinto — whose dad drove him to the occasion in his Lamborghini — left underwhelmed and nonetheless hungry.
“The meals sucked,” Pinto mentioned. “Wasn’t given any drinks aside from water or Trump’s wine. I do not drink, so I had water. My glass was solely stuffed as soon as.”
Trump made solely a short look, Pinto mentioned. “He did not discuss to any of the 220 company — possibly the highest 25,” he mentioned.
All in, the president was there for 23 minutes, Pinto mentioned. Trump delivered a short tackle rehashing previous crypto speaking factors then left on a helicopter earlier than taking any questions or footage together with his meme coin contest winners, he mentioned.
Telephones weren’t locked in RFID pouches, and safety was lax, in response to Pinto.
“As soon as Trump left, they did not actually fear about anything,” Pinto added.
Contest winners who spent essentially the most on $TRUMP meme cash added their signatures to a poster-sized printout of the leaderboard at a gala dinner at Trump Nationwide Golf Membership in Potomac Falls, Virginia, Might 22, 2025.
Nicholas Pinto
The group’s opulence was on full show.
“Richard Mille watches weren’t even uncommon,” Pinto mentioned. “I noticed a minimum of 16 individuals sporting them. I by no means see that except I am at a high-end restaurant in Miami or Dubai.”
However the vibe was extra muted than anticipated, he mentioned: “Plenty of individuals did not even maintain the coin anymore. They had been checking their telephones throughout dinner to see if the worth moved.”
CNBC has reached out to Trump representatives for touch upon the dinner and attendees.
Protests
For lawmakers and regulators, the dinner set off alarm bells.
The #1 token holder was Chinese language-born crypto mogul Justin Solar, who’s presently going through Securities and Trade Fee fraud prices that had been lately paused, with the company citing “the general public curiosity.”
Solar holds over $22 million within the $TRUMP token and one other $75 million in World Liberty Monetary’s native token.
“As the highest holder of $TRUMP and proud supporter of President Trump, it was an honor to attend the Trump Gala Dinner,” Solar posted on Friday. “Thanks @POTUS to your unwavering assist of our trade!”
Outdoors the gates of Trump Nationwide Golf Membership in Potomac Falls, Virginia, a couple of hundred protesters gathered, in response to NBC Information. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., joined them, backing a brand new Finish Crypto Corruption Act with Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Indicators learn “Crypto Corruption” and “Trump is a traitor.”
Crypto on Capitol Hill
“The Trump household exercise within the memecoin house makes my work in Congress extra difficult,” Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., informed CNBC on Friday.
Hill, who’s main negotiations on a bipartisan stablecoin regulation invoice generally known as the GENIUS Act, referred to as the gala “a distraction from the great work we have to do.”
Now, the GENIUS Act is in danger.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., lately added a controversial rider to the invoice that might cap bank card late charges — what’s seen as a poison tablet that would alienate banking allies and stall closing approval.
President Donald Trump speaks at a dinner for meme coin contest winners at Trump Nationwide Golf Membership in Potomac Falls, Virginia, Might 22, 2025.
Nicholas Pinto
On Thursday evening because the meme coin contest dinner was underway, a bloc of Senate Democrats introduced they’d be pushing for a brand new provision that might ban presidents and senior officers from profiting off crypto ventures whereas in workplace — a direct problem to the Trump-linked stablecoin USD1 that launched within the spring.
In Washington, there’s rising concern that political infighting over Trump’s crypto ventures may derail the stablecoin invoice altogether. That poses a good greater threat.
Based on The Wall Avenue Journal, main banks together with JPMorgan, Financial institution of America and Citi are in early talks to subject a unified digital greenback to compete with Tether, the foreign-controlled stablecoin that now instructions over 60% of worldwide market share.
These plans hinge on authorized readability.
If the GENIUS Act stalls, the U.S. may lose its window to regain floor within the international race for digital funds.
The White Home has tried to attract a line between Trump the president and Trump the non-public businessman.
“The president is attending it in his private time. It isn’t a White Home dinner,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt informed reporters when pressed on attendee transparency.
The administration declined to launch a visitor checklist. However blockchain information — and a patchwork of visitor pictures — inform a part of the story.
A Bloomberg Information evaluation discovered that each one however six of the highest 25 wallets used overseas exchanges, ostensibly off-limits to U.S. customers. Greater than half of the highest 220 wallets had been linked to comparable offshore platforms.
One Nasdaq-listed penny inventory, Freight Applied sciences, disclosed in an SEC submitting that it spent $2 million on Trump’s token to push U.S.-Mexico commerce coverage. It did not make the minimize for the dinner — ending 250th.
Since its January debut, the $TRUMP coin has generated greater than $324 million in buying and selling charges. Roughly 80% of the $TRUMP token provide is managed by the Trump Group and associates, in response to the undertaking’s web site.
WLFI, the Trump’s parallel token, has bought $550 million in two token gross sales.
Nonetheless, White Home AI and crypto czar David Sacks remained bullish on “vital bipartisan assist” for stablecoin laws.
“We have already got over $200 billion in stablecoins — it is simply unregulated,” Sacks informed CNBC’s “Closing Bell Extra time” on Wednesday. “If we offer the authorized readability and authorized framework for this, I feel we may create trillions of {dollars} of demand for our Treasurys virtually in a single day, in a short time.”
“We’ve each expectation now that it will move,” added Sacks, although he did not reply a query about issues from Democrats that there aren’t enough safeguards in place to maintain the president and his household from making the most of laws.
Whereas Sacks bought $200 million in crypto-related holdings earlier than taking his White Home job, in response to a disclosure submitting, Trump and his household have been leaning into constructing a crypto empire.
The Trumps are monetary backers of World Liberty Monetary, which is behind the USD1 stablecoin that’s backed by Treasurys and greenback deposits.
Abu Dhabi’s MGX funding fund lately pledged $2 billion in USD1 to Binance, the world’s largest digital belongings change. It is the corporate’s largest-ever funding made in crypto.
