Trump's Dinner Meme Coin Attracts Billionaires, Basketball Stars, and Fierce Criticism

A grand gathering at President Donald Trump's Virginia golf club has sparked a wave of ethical debate, combining the cryptocurrency event with allegations of constitutional violations. Thursday's dinner reserved for 220 people holding the most TRUMP meme coin of the national leader attracted billionaires, celebrities, and a slew of legal threats, with critics calling it a gateway for foreign influence peddling. The Price of Closeness To attend the event, participants must hold the TRUMP coin, and reports indicate that attendees have spent a total of 394 million dollars on this meme coin to sit at the president's table. The meeting was attended by celebrities in the cryptocurrency field such as Tron founder Justin Sun, who is also an investor in the Trump family's World Liberty Financial project. The businessman, the head of the publicly listed ranking with a sum of 18.5 million dollars, showcased his clips at the event, even claiming that he received a Trump Golden Tourbillon watch from the president. This is notable as the SEC is investigating him for fraud allegations, although the matter was abruptly halted in February. While former NBA star Lamar Odom did not hide his presence at Trump National Golf Club, most attendees remained anonymous, using nicknames on the leaderboard. Protesters were reportedly lined up at the entrance of the venue, waving signs that read "Cryptocurrency Corruption" and "America is Not for Sale." Blockchain data shared by Bloomberg shows that more than half of the customers may reside outside the United States, with many buyers of tokens from foreign cryptocurrency exchanges claiming to exclude U.S. users. This detail alone has raised concerns that foreign actors may exploit cryptocurrency to circumvent U.S. campaign finance laws. In response, 35 members of Congress signed a letter urging the Department of Justice to investigate, citing possible violations of the compensation clause in the Constitution. Meanwhile, Representative Maxine Waters has introduced the "TRUMP Cryptocurrency Prevention Act," aimed at prohibiting officials from profiting from digital assets. Massachusetts Senator and prominent cryptocurrency critic Elizabeth Warren did not hide when she called this dinner a "corrupt feast" at a press conference on Thursday. Lawmaker Richard Blumenthal stated that this dinner put up a "for sale" sign at the White House. Both called for transparency regarding the participants in the event and the ways to earn money through the structure of the TRUMP token, with on-chain records showing that only 25 top investors purchased at least 111 million dollars in meme cryptocurrency. Trump is Not Hesitant Despite the White House's statement that Trump attended in a personal capacity, reports indicate that the president delivered a brief speech after the podium bearing his office's seal. He is said not to have made any new announcements regarding cryptocurrency policy; instead, he reaffirmed his support for the national Bitcoin reserve (BTC), before quickly jumping into a helicopter and flying away from the venue. The subsequent criticisms did not seem to bother the commander-in-chief, as this politician posted on his official Truth Social account that, "The U.S. is DOMINATING cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, etc., and we will continue to do so."