WLFI Trading Proposal Shuts Up Trump Purse More Holdings of Donald Trump in cryptocurrency went up this week on the strength of a fresh tokenomics proposal by World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a decentralized finance project that has close links to the former U.S. president. On July 4, WLFI development team proposed trading its non-transferable governance token as a tradable asset pending community approval. Pre-market listing of WLFI has already emerged on MEXC, BingX, and LBank, attracting investor interest. Arkham Intelligence data shows Trump’s publicly tagged crypto wallet rose by nearly 2.5% in 24 hours, reaching $1.41 million—driven largely by renewed WLFI activity. WLFI: A Token with Presidential Ties Though WLFI’s tokens are not yet openly tradable, the project’s roadmap suggests approval could come by Q3 2025. Trump is identified as the platform’s “chief crypto advocate,” and he stands to gain significantly from the token’s future liquidity. Media reports and public revelations put Trump and his relatives at control of 22.5 billion WLFI tokens—over half the total. A family-affiliated entity is also due 75% of all token sales proceeds over $30 million. A Billion-Dollar Difference Between Public and Private Crypto Trump’s public wallet may show only a modest $1.41 million, but Forbes estimates his true crypto riches to be over $246 million of post-tax proceeds. That difference is a function of the composition of Trump’s crypto exposure. His public wallet is full of supporter-donated meme tokens like TROG and TRUMP, while his underlying assets appear to be held in private corporate vehicles. If trading on WLFI were to ever become de-locked, Trump’s exposure would one day be worth almost $1 billion, more than the combined value of Mar-a-Lago and Trump Tower together. Politics Meets Profits in a Regulatory Gray Zone The evolution of the WLFI token from a governance tool to a tradable asset breaks new ground in crypto innovation and political authority. Trump’s methodology—branding, speculation, and structural opacity—is familiar from his real estate and media playbook. But lawmakers are taking note. Last week, Senator Jeff Merkley proposed an amendment to restrict presidents from holding or promoting digital assets. Ethics groups like Public Citizen warn that Trump’s engagement with crypto sets a dangerous precedent for political profiteering in the decentralized economy.
