politicsliberal
Trump's Meme Coin Gala: A Night of Disappointments
Virginia, USASaturday, May 24, 2025
The gala was not open to the press, which raised some ethical concerns. The list of the top 220 buyers was not made public, either. One guest said that the overriding memory of the event would be the warm welcome they received as the gala kicked off. However, walking into the dinner was a whole different story. Guests were greeted by a horde of booing protesters who chanted "shame, shame, shame" while holding up signs that read "Stop Crypto Corruption" and "Don the Con. "
The meme coin's debut in January has been a big money-maker for the former president's businesses. They have made over $300 million in sales and $43 million in total fees. Since the dinner was announced last month, they have brought in over $3 million in transaction fees alone. One Chinese billionaire, known for his publicity stunts, topped the buyer leaderboard. He has spent more than $20 million on the meme coin.
The contest to attend the crypto dinner ran from April 23 to May 12. It was not immediately clear how much the meme coin buyers paid to attend the event. The top 25 on an online leaderboard set up by the Trump-affiliated business to rank their spending hold a total of $140 million in Trump coins. While the top 25 on the list were invited to an ultra-exclusive private VIP reception, it appeared that the president only spent a short amount of time at the event and didn't even stick around to hand out prizes to the top purchasers of his cryptocurrency.
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