
Ben Kentish 10pm - 1am
20 January 2025, 12:45
Melania Trump has launched her own cryptocurrency, raking in billions in a matter of minutes.
The “official Melania meme coin” launched less than 24 hours ago and is already valued at $1.7 billion.
It comes ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration in Washington DC and just a day after her husband launched his own crypto $TRUMP - which experienced a rapid rise and fall in value since being released.
Taking to X on Sunday, Melania wrote: “The Official Melania Meme is live! You can buy $MELANIA now.”
A whopping 20,000 people reportedly invested in the digital currency in less than an hour.
The Official Melania Meme is live!
— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) January 19, 2025
You can buy $MELANIA now. https://t.co/8FXvlMBhVf
FUAfBo2jgks6gB4Z4LfZkqSZgzNucisEHqnNebaRxM1P pic.twitter.com/t2vYiahRn6
Melania’s official website describes the coin as a way to “show support for and engagement with the values embodied by Melania.”
The sites for both Melania and Trump’s meme coins stress that they were “not intended to be, or the subject of” an investment opportunity.
The disclaimer reads: “Trump memes are intended to function as an expression of support for, and engagement with, the ideals and beliefs embodied by the symbol ‘$Trump’ and the associated artwork, and are not intended to be, or to be the subject of, an investment opportunity, investment contract, or security of any type.
“GetTrumpMemes.com is not political and has nothing to do with any political campaign or any political office or governmental agency.”
During his campaign, the president-elect pledged to make America "the crypto capital of the planet".
Bitcoin, which is perhaps the most famous cryptocurrency, soared in value in the days after Donald Trump stormed to victory against Kamala Harris.
Following the launch of Trump’s coin on Saturday, his son Eric described it as “the hottest digital meme on Earth.”
Financial experts have issued stark warnings against investing in so-called meme coins, which often soar in value before dropping by 90% in some cases.
Anthony Scaramucci, a former Trump communication director, warned against investing in the coins.
He wrote: “The Trump memecoin stuff is bad for the [crypto] industry. Don’t delude yourself.”
Trump will officially become president of the United States at today's historic inauguration ceremony, his second time entering the highest office in the United States.
Last night, the incoming president celebrated his election victory “on the eve of taking back our country” in front of a large crowd gathered in the Capital One arena in Washington, DC.
“We won,” Trump told his supporters as he promised "close to 100 executive orders" on his first day in office.
He promised mass deportations and took credit for TikTok coming back online after it went down, and for achieving a ceasefire in the Middle East.
He ran through a variety of topics, and made several promises, including to 'get wokeness out of the military', 'get men out of women's sports'. He also repeated baseless claims that the last election, won by Biden, was rigged.
“Tomorrow at noon, the curtain closes on four long years of American decline, and we begin a brand new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity and pride. Bringing it all back once and for all,” the president-elect said.