President Trump has unveiled what might be the most nakedly transactional scheme in presidential history: Buy his s**tcoin, get a seat at his table.
The program, detailed by Popular.info, works like this: Hoard enough $TRUMP tokens, and you too can join 219 other coin holders for dinner with the President at his golf club. The top 25 buyers get an exclusive reception and a "VIP White House tour." When announced, $TRUMP's value jumped from $9 to $15, theoretically enriching Trump-controlled holdings by $4.8 billion. Not bad for a day's tweet.
The beauty of cryptocurrency's anonymity means almost anyone can play — foreign governments, contractors, that guy who's definitely not a spy. As crypto expert Molly White pointed out, two of the leading token holders made their purchases through a non-U.S. version of Binance.
"This raises the troubling prospect that foreign actors are using the meme coin as a vector to buy influence with President Trump and his associates without needing to disclose their identities publicly," wrote Senators Adam Schiff and Elizabeth Warren. Senator Jon Ossoff called it "an impeachable offense." Meanwhile, Congressional Republicans, those tireless guardians of constitutional propriety, have responded with their trademark frightened silence.
And for those who find crypto too hard to understand, Donald "Uday" Trump Jr. has a more traditional offering. Politico reports Junior, along with Trump donor Omeed Malik, has launched "Executive Branch," an exclusive club with a $500,000 membership fee. The club promises C-suite executives private mingling time with Trump cabinet members, far from pesky journalists. Because nothing says "drain the swamp" quite like building a VIP lounge in it — and letting your son collect the cover charge.
Previously:
• Pharma-bro Shkreli claims he helped launch Trump crypto coin with Barron, now worth $0.0004 after mysterious sell-off
