[link removed] [[link removed]] Hi John,
Tonight, Donald Trump is hosting a dinner with the top holders of the $TRUMP memecoin he profits from *and* a private reception and White House tour for the top 25 investors.
It’s an unprecedented pay-to play stunt and one of the most corrupt events we’ve ever seen. But not enough people even know that the event is happening.
That’s why we’re asking you to read this email and then forward it to your friends and family.
Here’s what you need to know about Trump’s memecoin dinner:
First off, memecoins are a type of cryptocurrency based on an online joke and are known for not having any value beyond speculation. Before Trump launched his own memecoin, he was a skeptic, saying the value is “based on thin air.”
Evidently he was persuaded by the opportunity to profit, and launched $TRUMP days before his inauguration. The value skyrocketed and then quickly plummeted, causing many investors to lose billions.
The project is run by the Trump Organization and an affiliate called Fight Fight Fight, which together own 80% of the coins.
That means the Trump family benefits [[link removed]] from increases in the memecoin’s price—as well profiting directly from trading fees.
The value of the coin had stabilized until April 23, when Trump announced the memecoin dinner at his club for the top 220 owners of $TRUMP and a private reception with Trump at the White House.
After the announcement more than 50,000 wallets purchased the coin, pushing [[link removed]] its market cap to $2.7 billion at its peak.
The top $TRUMP holders are anonymously being tracked, though as a nod at the significant national security risks at play, attendees must pass a background check and not come from a watchlist country. (Suffice it to say, that does not resolve our ethics or national security concerns).
Despite the anonymous nature of the leaderboard, we do know some things about the winners: A CREW investigation [[link removed]] found that 50 invitees hold tokens linked to alt right symbols and racist language.
Reporting also revealed that most [[link removed]] attendees of the events are likely foreign, with all but 6 of the top 25 holders and at least 56% of the leaderboard’s top 220 holders using foreign exchanges not available to Americans.
The thing is, under federal law, foreign investors are barred from donating to a political campaign or a president’s inaugural fund, but there are no such restrictions on memecoins.
That’s a huge loophole for any foreign interest looking to curry favor or gain influence with Trump.
The scheme has been exceptionally lucrative for the Trump family and its partners, who’ve made a total [[link removed]] of $312 million in trading fees on the coin, and at least $3 million since the dinner was announced.
John, that’s unethical enough that is has generated criticism on *both sides* of the aisle in Congress.
As we’ve been saying for weeks, including in an op-ed for MSNBC [[link removed]] , this memecoin dinner scheme is blatantly corrupt.
Trump is profiting massively from tonight’s dinner. He is selling access to the presidency by allowing a wealthy and anonymous few to buy up his memecoin, line his pockets, and potentially have the opportunity to influence decisions that could affect all Americans.
This isn’t just unethical— it’s dangerous.
The least Trump could do is release the names of attendees so that Americans can judge for themselves whether attendees get special favors in exchange for their investment in $TRUMP.
If you’re ready to support CREW’s work to expose corruption and hold Trump accountable, make a donation before Trump’s dinner tonight → [[link removed]]If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your tax deductible donation will go through immediately to ActBlue Charities Inc. and be disbursed to CREW within 30 days:
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Thanks,
CREW HQ
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CFC 42218
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