Trump’s Wife Launches ‘$MELANIA’ Cryptocurrency Ahead of Husband’s Inauguration
In a surprising move ahead of her husband’s inauguration as the President of the United States, Melania Trump has launched her own cryptocurrency, the $MELANIA coin. The announcement came shortly after her husband, President-elect Donald Trump, introduced the $Trump cryptocurrency, a move that has sparked significant attention in the digital asset world.
On Sunday, Melania Trump took to the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to announce the launch, stating, “The Official Melania Meme is live! You can buy $MELANIA now.” According to the website for $MELANIA, the cryptocurrency is created and tracked on the Solana blockchain, a popular blockchain network known for its speed and scalability.
Both the $Trump and $Melania cryptocurrencies have seen a surge in value since their launch, though they have been subject to significant price volatility, typical of many cryptocurrencies.
The websites for both coins include disclaimers, making it clear that these digital assets are not intended to be investment opportunities or securities, a statement that somewhat downplays the financial ambitions of the coins and clarifies their nature as “meme” coins, which often rise and fall based on market sentiment rather than intrinsic value.
According to CoinMarketCap, the $Trump cryptocurrency has a market valuation of approximately $12bn (£9.8bn), while $Melania has a smaller, yet still substantial, market cap of $1.7bn.
Although Donald Trump had previously criticized cryptocurrency, calling it a “scam,” his stance shifted during his 2024 election campaign, where he became the first presidential candidate to accept digital assets as campaign donations. Trump also stated his intention to create a “strategic bitcoin stockpile” and appoint financial regulators who would take a more positive stance on digital assets, fueling expectations that his presidency could ease regulations in the crypto industry.
Following his victory, the value of Bitcoin surged to a record high of around $107,000, according to the crypto trading platform Coinbase. This momentum in the cryptocurrency market appears to have benefitted both the $Trump and $Melania coins, despite their volatile nature.
The launch of these coins has sparked considerable debate, with some questioning the motivations behind the creation of meme coins tied to public figures and whether they could create ethical concerns around the commercialization of political personalities and their influence.
