In a recent interview with NBC News’s Kristen Welker on Meet the Press, U.S. President Donald Trump gave conflicting answers when asked whether he had profited from the crypto memecoin he launched in January, just days before re-entering the White House.
When asked about critics who claimed he was profiting from the presidency through the memecoin, Trump responded,
“I’m not profiting from anything.”
Welker then pressed further, asking,
“So you’re not profiting off of the cryptocurrency at all?”
To this, Trump admitted,
“I haven’t even looked.”
However, he quickly added, “But I’ll tell you what. Look, if I own stock in something and I do a good job, and the stock market goes up, I guess I’m profiting.” This statement comes in light of the launch of his memecoin, Official Trump (TRUMP), which debuted on January 17. The token experienced a dramatic spike to $73.43 just two days later, right before his inauguration on January 20, according to CoinGecko.
Since then, the token has steadily declined, though it surged again in March. Currently, the token is trading at $11.35, reflecting a nearly 85% drop from its peak. Interestingly, Trump appeared unaware of his token’s recent rise, repeatedly asking during the interview how much it was worth now.
Despite this, Trump stated that he would contribute his presidential salary “back to the government,” prompting Welker to ask if he would also consider contributing any potential crypto earnings. In response, Trump said, “I never thought of that,” before adding, “I mean, should I contribute all of my real estate that I’ve owned for many years if it goes up a little bit because I’m president and doing a good job? I don’t think so.” Throughout the interview, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to supporting cryptocurrency, highlighting its significance and warning that China will if the U.S. doesn’t advance in this area. He noted that cryptocurrency is important, popular, and rapidly growing.
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