Nearly a million investors lost $3.8B on Trump crypto coin
Nearly one million investors lost a combined $3.81 billion on President Donald Trump's official $TRUMP meme coin through the end of June 2026, according to blockchain analytics firm Nansen. While retail holders absorbed steep losses, Trump's annual financial disclosure shows he earned $636 million in royalties from the same token—widening the gap between buyer outcomes and presidential profits.
Key Takeaways
- Nansen found that nearly one million $TRUMP buyers collectively lost $3.81 billion in realized and unrealized holdings through June 2026.
- Trump reported $636 million in meme coin royalties via CIC Digital LLC, collecting fees on trading activity regardless of price direction.
- A $10,000 investment on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2025, would be worth about $364 today—a 96.4% loss, per Newsweek.
- About two-thirds of $TRUMP holders are underwater, while economist Peter Schiff argues wealthy buyers may be purchasing access, not returns.
- The token launched three days before Trump's inauguration and has fallen roughly 97–98% from early peaks near $75.
How much did investors lose on Trump's meme coin?
According to The New York Times, Nansen found that nearly one million people who bought the president's memecoin lost money through June 2026. Their combined losses totaled $3.81 billion, reflecting both realized losses from sellers and unrealized losses for holders who have not exited.
The analytics assessment followed Trump's annual financial disclosure, released June 30 by the Office of Government Ethics. That filing documented how the president profited from the same venture that left most retail participants behind, as part of a haul of at least $2.2 billion from all of his business ventures in 2025.
Why did Trump profit while buyers lost?
The New York Times reported that Trump collected returns whenever anyone traded the tokens, regardless of whether the price rose or fell. He repeatedly promoted the coin on Truth Social, urging followers to trade it while his licensing structure insulated him from the downside.
Trump earned $636 million in royalties from CIC Digital LLC under a licensing agreement tied to the $TRUMP coin. His broader 2025 disclosure also listed substantial crypto-related income from World Liberty Financial and other digital ventures, even as associated tokens declined sharply.
The token launched on January 17, 2025—three days before Trump's inauguration—as a novelty currency with little practical utility. Trump had shifted from crypto skepticism in 2024 to embracing digital assets as a profit opportunity during his presidential campaign.
What is a $10,000 inauguration-day bet worth now?
A Newsweek analysis of CoinMarketCap data illustrates the scale of retail pain. A $10,000 investment in the Official Trump ($TRUMP) token on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2025, would be worth about $364 as of July 1, 2026.
That represents a 96.4% loss, wiping out roughly $9,636 of the original stake. The token traded near $45.47 on inauguration day and had fallen to about $1.66 by early July 2026—consistent with broader reports that $TRUMP is down roughly 97–98% from peaks near $75.
What are critics saying about Trump meme coins?
Economist Peter Schiff told listeners of The Peter Schiff Show that Trump meme coins function as "legal bribes" for presidential access rather than sound investments. He cited White House events reserved for top $TRUMP holders as evidence that wealthy buyers may be purchasing attention, not returns.
Citing Nansen data reported by The Wall Street Journal, Schiff noted that about two-thirds of $TRUMP holders sit on losses, and roughly 85% of secondary-market buyers of World Liberty's $WLFI token face unrealized losses. "Everybody named Trump is making money, but the people who bought those tokens lost everything on those tokens," he said.
For more context on politically branded tokens and disclosure-driven market shocks, see our Fintech & Crypto Alerts coverage.