Trump Crime Family: Trump’s Meme Coin $TRUMP Dinner Access

May 23, 2025 11:47 AM EDT, Fri

At Trump’s crypto dinner: Tuxedos, luxury cars and a former NBA star

As people began arriving for the event, the price of $TRUMP dropped suddenly by about 6%, indicating a significant sales volume, before stabilizing.

May 22, 2025, 10:18 PM EDT

By David Ingram and Nnamdi Egwuonwu

STERLING, Va. — Presidents Donald Trump held a private event Thursday night for 220 crypto investors who had bought into his meme coin, defying bipartisan concerns from lawmakers that he was selling access to accumulate personal wealth.

Crypto enthusiasts, including former NBA star Lamar Odom, attended the dinner at Trump National Golf Club in northern Virginia, just outside Washington. About 100 demonstrators lined the road to the entrance, trying to shame attendees with chants and signs such as “Trump is a traitor,” “Crypto corruption” and “America is not for sale.”

Odom, a former Los Angeles Laker, walked past the protesters carrying an umbrella, according to a post on his X account in which he promoted his own meme coin. Other people arrived in luxury SUVs with tinted windows, and many wore tuxedos for the event billed as “black-tie optional.”

To secure a seat, the mostly anonymous attendees had to be among the top 220 holders of the $TRUMP coin, with the average participant [spending

$1.8 million](https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/crypto/trumps-crypto-dinner-cost-1-million-seat-average-rcna207802), according to the blockchain analytics firm Nansen.

Two Trump-affiliated companies own 80% of the $TRUMP coin project. While their ability to sell is restricted in the short term, the project’s creators get a fee for every trade. Those fees have added up to more than $324 million since January since January, according to the research firm Chainalysis. The precise amount going to Trump personally is not known.

“Every time there’s a transaction, he gets a transaction fee? Just unconscionable what he’s doing,” said Ken Papaj, a former Treasury Department official who was among the protesters outside the event.

“He’s using the presidency to make himself and his family richer. It’s just not right for that to be happening in our country,” said Papaj, 73.

Trump arrived at the dinner via helicopter and left the same way without speaking to reporters — and barely speaking to the attendees, according to one of them. A 32-year-old man based in Austin, Texas, who declined to provide his name said Trump spoke for about 15 minutes.

The person said Trump did not reveal a new crypto policy but instead spoke in support of a potential bitcoin reserve and described himself as pro-crypto.

A majority of people at the event, this person said, did not have an opportunity to speak with or take a photo with Trump, who promptly left at the conclusion of his remarks.

“He helicoptered in, he helicoptered out. We didn’t really get to shake hands with him or anything, but it was a really interesting group of crypto people all in the same room,” the person said. “It’s about what I expected. I got the chance to be pretty close to the president when he was giving his speech.”

The dinner was advertised on its website as “intimate” and “the most EXCLUSIVE INVITATION in the World.”

The menu for the night included a “Trump organic field green salad,” filet mignon, pan-seared halibut and lava cake. A photo posted by one attendee, who goes by @cryptoo_bear, showed attendees receiving a commemorative hat and card.

In another post from @cryptoo_bear, written in Japanese, the user expressed disappointment with Trump’s appearance. “After giving a speech of just under 30 minutes, Presidents Trump danced as he left the room,” the user wrote. “The initial explanation said that we would go around the tables and take commemorative photos at each table, but for some reason that was no longer the case. That’s a bit disappointing.”

Trump celebrated the event on Truth Social.

“The U.S.A. is DOMINATING in Crypto, Bitcoin, etc., and we are going to keep it that way!” he wrote.

After he arrived back at the White House on Thursday night, Trump told reporters the event was “good, very good.”

In Congress, it sparked concerns on both sides of the aisle.

Sen. Cynthia Lummis (T-WY), said this month that the exclusive dinner “gives me pause,” and Sen. Thom Tillis (T-NC), said the concept of the dinner, “in abstract, is hard to understand.”

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), denounced the project at a news conference earlier Thursday.

“This is the most corrupt White House in the history of the country,” he said alongside other lawmakers. “Just because the corruption’s playing out in public where everybody can see it doesn’t mean that it isn’t rampant, rapacious corruption.”

The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal, which often praises Trump on policy, urged him this week to call off the gala or at least disclose those who attended “so Americans know who may be trying to buy access to the Presidents.”

On Thursday, the White House again refused to release a list.

“The presidents is attending it in his personal time. It is not a White House dinner. It’s not taking place here at the White House,” said Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary.

But event organizers did not market it as a personal event. The dinner’s website says says: “Presidents Donald J. Trump is Known as the ‘Crypto President!’ At this Intimate Private Dinner, Hear First-Hand Presidents Trump Talk about the Future of Crypto.”

According to multiple photos posted on X by people who said they were inside the event, Trump was due to speak from a podium with the presidential seal.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said this week that Trump was not acting to enrich himself. “Presidents Trump only acts in the best interests of the American public — which is why they overwhelmingly re-elected him to this office, despite years of lies and false accusations against him and his businesses from the fake news media,” she said.

Trump’s all-in dive into cryptocurrency is a sharp reversal from a few years ago, when he bashed the industry. “I am not a fan of Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air,” he said in a series of social media posts in 2019.

Like other meme coins, the $TRUMP coin is far from a traditional investment. It is not tied to anything with tangible value, and it is part of a carnival-casino atmosphere that has returned to cryptocurrency since Trump was re-elected in November.

The fine print on the website of the $TRUMP project says the coins “are intended to function as an expression of support for, and engagement with, the ideals and beliefs embodied by the symbol $TRUMP and are not intended to be, or to be the subject of, an investment opportunity, investment contract, or security of any type.”

The secrecy around the invitation list set off a scramble to confirm who paid money to attend the dinner. The event’s website published a leaderboard of who owned the most $TRUMP coin, but with usernames instead of real names.

Using publicly available information from the coin’s blockchain recordkeeping system, Bloomberg News reported strong interest in the coin among non-Americans. According to Bloomberg, 19 of the top 25 holders bought on foreign exchanges that say they exclude U.S. customers, and 56% of the top 220 bought on those exchanges.

The top holder identified himself on X this week as Justin Sun, a Chinese-born crypto entrepreneur whom the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission sued in 2023, alleging fraud. The case is still pending, though the SEC has explored a possible settlement or dismissal following Trump’s second inauguration.

As people began arriving for the event, the price of $TRUMP dropped suddenly by about 6%, indicating a significant sales volume, before it stabilized again.

Protesters, meanwhile, used megaphones to amplify their chants while standing in the rain for hours. They included a mix of local Democratic groups, as well as the left-leaning group Public Citizen.

Rose Fabia, 66, a former employee at the Department of Veterans Affairs, said the event was a blatant example of corruption.

“These wealthy people, they’re just here to pay for access. That’s all it is,” she said. “And he’s taking advantage of it and saying, ‘How much are you gonna give me? How much you gonna pay for my crypto coin?’ It’s a joke. It’s corruption in our faces.”

One person at the dinner, Kendall Davis, sparred with protesters, rejecting their assertion that he is a blind supporter of Trump and implicitly advocating for his policies. Davis, a young Black crypto owner, said the industry has made him a multimillionaire after he previously was homeless. He characterized his attendance as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dine with a sitting presidents.

“I don’t feel any type of remorse for coming here. My dad is Black. He’s proud of me. My grandma is Black. She’s proud of me. They’re Democrats,” he said. “Nobody in my family has ever ate with the presidents. Let me say this: If it was Joe Biden or Barack Obama, I would’ve came, too.”

Other people spotted at the dinner included Sandy Carter, the COO of blockchain-based Unstoppable Domains.

Joining the protesters was Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), who talked up legislation — the End Crypto Corruption Act — that he introduced this month with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). The measure would prohibit senior executive branch officials, including the presidents, from financially benefiting from issuing, endorsing or sponsoring crypto assets.

“The spirit of the Constitution was that no one elected would be selling influence to anyone because it’s to be government by and for the people, your constituents, not government by and for people who hand money across the table to you,” Merkley said.

David Ingram reported from San Francisco and Nnamdi Egwuonwu from Sterling.

David Ingram is a tech reporter for NBC News.

Nnamdi Egwuonwu is a politics reporter at NBC News.

Jean Lee contributed.

If It’s The Weekend, Find Trump On One Of His Golf Courses

Where Trump Can Be Found On Weekends
Mar-a-Lago
The Mar-a-Lago Club 1100 South Ocean Boulevard, Palm Beach, Florida 33480 +1 (561) 832-2600
Florida, West Palm Beach
Trump International Golf Club 3505 Summit Blvd West Palm Beach FL 33406 +1 (561) 682-0700
Florida, Miami
Trump National Doral Golf Club 4400 N.W. 87th Ave Miami, FL 33178 +1 (305) 592-2000
Florida, Jupiter
Trump National Jupiter Golf Club 115 Eagle Tree Terrace Jupiter FL 33477 +1 (561) 691-8700
Virginia, Potomac Falls
Trump National Golf Club Washington, D.C. 20391 Lowes Island Blvd Potomac Falls, VA 20165 +1 (703) 444-4801
New Jersey, Bedminster
Trump National Golf Club Bedminster 900 Lamington Road Bedminster, NJ 07921 +1 (908) 470-4400
New Jersey, Colts Neck
Trump National Golf Club Colts Neck One Trump National Blvd Colts Neck, NJ 07722 +1 (561) 973-1550
New Jersey, Pine Hill
Trump National Golf Club Philadelphia 500 West Branch Ave. Pine Hill, NJ 08021 +1 (856) 435-3100
New York, Hopewell Junction
Trump National Golf Club Hudson Valley 178 Stormville Rd Hopewell Junction, NY 12533 +1 (845) 223-1600
New York, Briarcliff Manor
Trump National Golf Club Westchester 100 Shadow Tree Lane Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510 +1 (914) 944-0900
California, Los Angeles
Trump National Golf Club Los Angeles One Trump National Drive Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275 +1 (310) 265-5000
North Carolina, Mooresville
Trump National Golf Club Charlotte 120 Trump Square Mooresville, NC 28117 +1 (704) 799-7300
Dubai
Trump International Golf Club Dubai DAMAC Hills Al Hebiah Third District Dubai +971 (0) 4 245 3939
Ireland, Clare
Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Ireland, Doonbeg DOONBEG CO. CLARE, IRELAND Phone: +353 65 905 5600
Scotland, Aberdeenshire
Trump MacLeod House & Lodge Scotland Menie Estate Balmedie Aberdeenshire, Scotland AB23 8YE Phone: +44 1358 743300 Reserve: +44 1358 743300
Scotland, Ayrshire
Trump Turnberry Maidens Road KA26 9LT Turnberry Ayrshire Scotland +44.1655.331.000 +44 01655 334115

Lodging
Florida, Miami
Trump® National Doral Miami 4400 N.W. 87th Avenue Miami, Florida 33178 Phone: +1 305 592 2000 Reserve: +1 800 713 6725 doral.reservations@trumphotels.com
Illinois, Chicago
Trump International Hotel & Tower® Chicago 401 N. Wabash Avenue Chicago, Illinois 60611 Phone: +1 312 588 8000 Reserve: +1 855 878 6700 tch_inquiries@trumphotels.com
Nevada, Los Vegas
Trump® International Hotel Las Vegas 2000 Fashion Show Drive Las Vegas, Nevada 89109 Phone: +1 702 982 0000 Reserve: +1 866 939 8786 lasvegas.info@trumphotels.com
New York, New York
Trump International Hotel & Tower® New York 1 Central Park West New York, New York 10023 Phone: +1 212 299 1000 Reserve: +1 888 448 7867 newyork.info@trumphotels.com
Virginia, Charlottesville
Albemarle Estate at Trump Winery 355 Albemarle House Drive Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 Phone: +1 434 977 4001 Reserve: +1 855 878 6700 reservations@trumpwinery.com
Ireland, Doonbeg
Trump International Golf Links and Hotel® Ireland, Doonbeg Co. Clare, Ireland Phone: +353 65 905 5600 Reserve: +1 844 366 6234 doonbeg.reservations@trumphotels.com
Scotland, Aberdeenshire
Trump MacLeod House & Lodge, Scotland Balmedie Aberdeenshire, Scotland AB23 8YE Phone: +44 1358 743300 Reserve: +44 1358 743300 bookings@trumpgolfscotland.com

Trump Crime Family: Trump’s Meme Coin $TRUMP Dinner Access

At Trump’s crypto dinner: Tuxedos, luxury cars and a former NBA star

If It’s The Weekend, Find Trump On One Of His Golf Courses

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