President-elect Donald Trump and incoming First Lady Melania Trump triggered a meme coin frenzy over the weekend, surprising the cryptocurrency industry and leaving many to wonder about their motives.
What happened: The launch of the OFFICIAL TRUMP token created a stir in the market, as the coin's fully diluted valuation reached a whopping $74 billion at one time, according to CoinMarketCap.
The project's official website stated that CIC Digital LLC, an affiliate of The Trump Organization, and a related entity, Fight Fight Fight LLC, own an 80% share of the digital asset.
At the current price of $53.69, that coin was worth $53.74 billion, meaning that Trump's stake could be about $43 billion.
With a reported portfolio already worth $9.16 billion, according to on-chain analytics firm Arkham, Trump’s cryptocurrency wealth might have exceeded $52 billion upon the official meme coin debut.
See Also: Italy’s Largest Bank Leaps Into Bitcoin Trading With $1 Million ‘Test’ Investment But CEO Says He Doesn’t Invest In BTC Personally
Even as the market was coming to terms with the OFFICIAL TRUMP mania, soon-to-be First Lady Melania Trump launched her own meme coin, called MELANIA, on Sunday. Like her husband's offering, Melania's cryptocurrency was launched on the Solana SOL/USD blockchain.
According to the coin's tokenomics, 35% of the total supply was reserved for Melania's team, with an initial lock period of 30 days.
MELANIA's fully diluted valuation—the market value if the maximum supply was in circulation—was worth $11.14 billion. So, at a 35% stake, Melania Trump's fortune was worth $3.89 billion.
Why It Matters: The launch of meme coins by the Trumps comes just ahead of the days ahead of the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump, who championed the cryptocurrency industry's cause during his election campaign.
The president-elect was expected to issue cryptocurrency-friendly executive orders, including the creation of a strategic Bitcoin BTC/USD reserve.
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