Peter Schiff on Trump's Meme Coins: Legalized Bribes or a Failed Investment?
Renowned economist and long-time cryptocurrency critic Peter Schiff has made a resonant statement, calling memecoins associated with Donald Trump's family nothing less than "legal bribes." In his view, buying tokens like TRUMP and MELANIA is not so much an investment as a way to buy access to the U.S. President.
Schiff's statement came amid the publication of a financial report, according to which Trump's income from cryptocurrency projects in 2025 exceeded $1 billion. However, despite the impressive figures in the report, the market performance of the tokens themselves looks dismal. TRUMP is trading near its June historical low, while MELANIA has lost virtually all its value since launch.
Numbers That Speak for Themselves
According to data from aggregators, TRUMP is currently worth about $1.71 — nearly 98% below its January 2025 all-time high of $73.43. MELANIA, in turn, is valued at $0.078, which is more than 99% below its peak of $13.05. Such a rapid decline has led to colossal losses for holders. Analytics show that approximately 67% of TRUMP token holders are in the red. The situation in the broader market of Trump family projects is also bleak: about 85% of investors who bought WLFI tokens from World Liberty Financial on the secondary market are also incurring losses.
Schiff emphasizes that the motivation of large buyers of these tokens is far from traditional investment logic. He recalls closed events at the White House, which were only accessible to the largest TRUMP holders.
"He actually held meetings at the White House that only the largest holders of his cryptocurrencies could attend. Essentially, it's a way to bribe the president. You don't need to transfer money directly — just buy the token. Because who else would buy it? As an investment, it's a failed idea," Schiff noted.
Financial reports confirm that CIC Digital, a company affiliated with the Trump family, earned about $636 million in royalties from memecoins last year. Another $515 million came from the sale of World Liberty Financial tokens. Thus, all profits are concentrated among the issuers, while retail investors incur losses. This situation has already attracted the attention of lawmakers: Senator Elizabeth Warren and Congressman Jake Auchincloss previously noted that such tokens allow foreign buyers to "secure the administration's support."
Expert Opinion: Schiff's statements, though provocative, raise an extremely important question about the nature of "political memecoins." We see a classic "pump and dump" model, where insiders and the project team reap superprofits, while retail investors are left with devalued assets. Blockchain transparency here works against holders: everyone sees that funds are concentrated among a narrow circle of people. While regulators are only discussing this issue, the market is voting with its dollars — and that vote is clearly not in favor of the Trump family tokens.