HL: How Much Crypto Does President Trump Really HODL?

At Michale Saylor’s $100,000 Bitcoin party on New Year’s Eve, the CEO of Bitcoin Magazine said, ‘Trump told me he owns a significant amount of Bitcoin.’

Author

Adam Atlantic
January 17, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes

With Trump set to take office in a matter of days, there’s a burning question that no one seems to have the answer to…

How much crypto does Trump really hold?

Let’s start with the things we do know…

Trump is Pro Bitcoin, Pro Crypto

A big part of why Trump is in office is because of donations and support from the Bitcoin and crypto industry.

Ripple (XRP) is dropping $5 million worth of XRP into Trump’s inauguration fund. Keenly interested in a pro-crypto regulatory environment, to ensure they can be part of the backbone of a crypto-friendly US financial system.

Their Chief Legal Officer gave $300,000 worth of XRP to the campaign last year too.[1]

Coinbase, like Ripple, is keen on clear rules and guidance from the administration. So, it comes as no surprise they too have dropped $1 million into Trump’s inauguration fund.[2] 

Famous crypto investors, and founders of the Gemini exchange, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, are said to have donated $2.02 million to Trump’s election campaign.[3]

Jesse Powell, founder of the Kraken exchange gave $845,000 of Ethereum to the campaign, and Kraken is kicking in $1 million to the inauguration fund too.

It makes sense that Trump and congress pass pro-crypto laws and regulations through various arms of the government, to ensure those donations aren’t for nothing.

Add to this, the rumours that on day one Trump might sign an executive order that would change the rules around accounting standards for digital assets. In simple terms, it would allow banks to buy and hold Bitcoin on their balance sheets as an asset (currently it has to register as a liability.)[4]

Don’t think this is all good-natured goodwill on Trump’s part. It’s a fair assumption to make, that clearer, more open rules for crypto, leads to better outcomes for the industry and higher prices for crypto.

And if Trump, and his family are already sitting on huge bags of crypto, then it also leads to better outcomes for their wealth.

If we know he’s pro-crypto, and pro-Bitcoin, then what indication is there he’s sitting on some fat bags?

What about World Liberty?

Remember Trump’s latest foray into the world of crypto (outside of selling Trump NFTs), World Liberty Financial?

 

The site says, ‘inspired by Donald J. Trump’, but it also lists the President as ‘Chief Crypto Advocate’ and both Eric, Donald Jr. and Barron Trump as ‘Web3 Ambassadors’.

And you can see onchain for yourself that World Liberty Financial owns:[5]

· $7 million in USDC

· $3.6 million in Ethereum

· $1.7 million in Aave

· $1.7 million in wrapped Bitcoin

· $1.5 million in Chainlink

Then a bunch of smaller holdings right down to $10.27 in HarryPotterTrumpSonic100inu – that’s just someone sending a joke amount of crypto to this publicly known wallet.

Now this isn’t Trump’s personal holdings. But he’s also not doing any of this for charity. And you know there’s a good chance, somewhere he’s got a stash of these tucked away.

Even with Bitcoin, while it’s hard to know exactly what or where he might have some. At Michale Saylor’s $100,000 Bitcoin party on New Year’s Eve, the CEO of Bitcoin Magazine said during a livestreamed panel session, ‘Trump told me he owns a significant amount of Bitcoin’.[6]

Whatever the actual amount, with his stance of crypto, his indebtedness to the industry, and his involvement personally in various aspects of it, we can assume he’s a hodler. And that, for the next four years at least has got to be good for us all.

Trust in crypto,
Adam Atlantic