Donald Trump’s TRUMP Memecoin Plunges 38% as Melania Trump Launches Her Own Memecoin

The cryptocurrency market experienced a dramatic shift on January 19, 2025, when Melania Trump, the incoming First Lady, launched her own memecoin, MELANIA, just as her husband’s controversial TRUMP token saw a significant drop in value.

Trump’s TRUMP Token Takes a Hit

US President-elect Donald Trump’s TRUMP token, which had previously reached a peak market valuation of $15 billion, saw a sharp decline of 38% within a short span of 40 minutes. According to data from CoinMarketCap, the price of the TRUMP token plummeted from $74.60 to $45.90, wiping off $5 billion from its market cap. The timing of the drop coincided with the announcement of Melania Trump’s own memecoin launch, raising speculation about the market’s reaction to the newly introduced rival token.

Melania Trump’s MELANIA Token Surges in Value

Melania Trump’s MEME token, launched on January 19, quickly gained traction in the crypto world. Promoted by Mrs. Trump herself in a post on X (formerly Twitter), which was shared by her husband, the MELANIA token saw explosive growth. Within two hours of its launch, MELANIA hit a market cap of $6.14 billion, according to DEXScreener data. Over 45,000 wallets had already purchased the token by that time.

In her promotional message, Mrs. Trump stated that the token was designed to “express support” and “engagement,” clarifying that it was “not intended” to be an investment opportunity. The website for the token outlined a distribution plan, claiming that 35% of the supply would go to the team behind the token, 20% to the treasury and community, 15% for the public, and 10% reserved for liquidity.

Concerns Over MELANIA Token’s Distribution and Team

Despite the official distribution claims, blockchain analytics platform Bubblemaps raised questions about the MELANIA token’s structure. According to Bubblemaps, nearly 90% of the total token supply was located in a single wallet, which contradicts the stated distribution plan.

Coinbase executive Conor Grogan, while skeptical about potential fraud, suggested that the MELANIA token might have been launched by a less experienced team compared to the professional market makers behind the TRUMP token. He noted that the creator wallet for MELANIA had connections to Solana’s memecoin launchpad pump.fun, a platform known for its high-risk, high-reward token launches.

Melania’s Website and Intellectual Property Concerns

Additional scrutiny has been placed on the MELANIA token’s website, which was created just one day before the launch on January 18. An anonymous crypto developer, “cygaar,” pointed out several issues, including the lack of cybersecurity protections such as Cloudflare and the site’s "half-hearted" frontend code.

Further investigation revealed that the intellectual property rights to the website melaniameme.com, which supported the token launch, are held by MKT World LLC—a company set up by Melania Trump in 2021. The company shares a business address with the Trump International Golf Club, as recorded by the Florida Department of State.

The Timing of the Launch

The timing of Melania Trump’s token launch just one day before her husband’s presidential inauguration raised further eyebrows. While the move generated significant buzz in the crypto world, it also highlighted the growing trend of celebrity-driven memecoins and the increasing influence of political figures on the digital asset market.

As the memecoin market remains volatile, with both TRUMP and MELANIA tokens experiencing major swings in value, it remains to be seen whether these tokens will stabilize or fade into obscurity, like so many other celebrity-backed crypto projects. Nonetheless, the launches underscore the significant attention—and risk—surrounding memecoins in the ever-evolving cryptocurrency landscape.