Mirror Review
October 17, 2025
In 2019, Donald Trump dismissed Bitcoin as “based on thin air.”
Six years later, the same man is one of America’s largest Bitcoin investors, sitting atop an estimated $870 million stake in the digital currency.
The transformation is symbolic of how power, populism, and profit now intersect in America’s digital age.
Trump’s transformation from skeptic to crypto champion marks not only a personal reversal but also a national one, reshaping the U.S. into what he calls “the crypto capital of the world.”
Donald Trump: The Early Bitcoin Skeptic Who Saw a New Market
During his first term, Trump was openly hostile toward digital currencies.
- In 2019, he tweeted: “I am not a fan of Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly volatile.”
- His administration echoed those concerns, pushing for tighter regulations and crackdowns on crypto-linked activities.
But once out of office, Trump began to see opportunity where he once saw risk. Watching the NFT boom and meme-coin mania unfold, he realized something crucial: crypto wasn’t just a financial asset—it was a cultural one.
The first Trump Crypto experiment, the Trump NFT trading cards, proved it.
- Depicting him as a superhero, cowboy, and astronaut, the NFTs sold out within hours.
- The collection generated millions in revenue and demonstrated that Trump’s personal brand could drive demand, even in digital economies.
That success planted the seed for his next big crypto move.
The Birth of World Liberty Financial
In 2024, amid his campaign comeback, Trump and his sons Donald Jr., Eric, and Barron founded World Liberty Financial (WLFI).
The pitch was simple: merge financial freedom with American values.
What WLFI offers:
- USD1 Stablecoin: A digital token pegged to the U.S. dollar.
- WLFI Governance Token: Used for network voting and rewards.
- DeFi Services: Plans for decentralized lending and digital banking.
The company quickly drew heavyweight investors like Justin Sun and the Aqua 1 Foundation (UAE).
According to Financial Times:
- WLFI raised over $2.7 billion through token sales.
- The Trump family’s profits from their crypto ventures have already surpassed $1 billion pre-tax.
- Trump personally disclosed $57.3 million in income from WLFI for 2024.
Eric Trump, with characteristic flair, told reporters, “It’s probably more than that.”
Bitcoin: Trump’s Hidden Fortune
The most lucrative Trump crypto investment, however, isn’t WLFI—it’s Bitcoin.
According to Forbes:
- Trump holds his Bitcoin indirectly through Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), the parent of Truth Social.
- In early 2025, TMTG raised $2.3 billion by selling stock and debt.
- The company then invested $2 billion of that into Bitcoin.
Because Trump owns 41% of TMTG, his share of the Bitcoin holdings, worth roughly $870 million, makes him one of the largest individual Bitcoin investors in the world, rivaling:
- Michael Saylor of MicroStrategy
- The Winklevoss twins
- Tim Draper, the Silicon Valley investor
It’s an astonishing reversal for a man who once mocked the very asset he now depends on.
The “Crypto President” Era
Trump’s crypto enthusiasm didn’t stop at investing — it became policy while his second administration took an aggressively pro-crypto stance.
Key moves include:
- Passing the GENIUS Act, which eased restrictions on stablecoin issuers.
- Disbanding the DOJ’s crypto crimes task force.
- Appointing SEC Chair Paul Atkins, who declared, “Most crypto assets are not securities.”
Critics argue that Trump is directly profiting from deregulation.
Senator Elizabeth Warren called his private dinner with meme-coin holders “an orgy of corruption.” The event drew hundreds of protesters.
But the White House dismissed such claims.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “Neither the President nor his family have ever engaged, or will ever engage, in conflicts of interest. The administration’s crypto policies are driving innovation and opportunity for all Americans.”
Profits, Power, and Perception
The Trump family’s crypto empire now spans:
- World Liberty Financial (WLFI) — estimated at over $5 billion in total token value.
- Trump NFTs and Meme Coins — early ventures that built digital brand credibility.
- Bitcoin Holdings — the largest personal crypto exposure among any global leader.
Yet the fortunes come with volatility and scrutiny.
Market Reactions
Initially, investors cheered Trump’s Bitcoin pivot. TMTG’s stock surged amid meme-stock enthusiasm, but the excitement didn’t last.
Despite holding billions in Bitcoin, the company’s market value has since fallen by over $1 billion, suggesting investors see more risk than reward in the long term.
Still, with Trump in the White House and Bitcoin up 60% since Election Day, the link between political power and crypto value has never been stronger.
What Trump’s Crypto Evolution Really Means
Trump’s journey from calling Bitcoin “thin air” to gaining nearly a billion dollars from it proves his instinct for timing.
The Trump crypto embrace is less about ideology and more about intuition: identifying a movement with momentum and branding it as his own.
In many ways, Trump’s crypto story mirrors America’s broader relationship with digital assets, which was once skeptical but is now fascinated and increasingly dependent.
By turning crypto into both a policy platform and a personal fortune, Trump has blurred the lines between governance and self-interest more than any U.S. president before him.
Forecast: What’s Next for Trump and Crypto
Looking ahead, Trump’s relationship with crypto could evolve in three possible directions:
1. Institutional Integration:
The U.S. might see a federally backed Bitcoin Reserve, legitimizing crypto as a national asset.
2. Regulatory Reversal:
A potential backlash from Congress or courts could tighten oversight, especially if ethics investigations gain traction.
3. Political Leverage:
Crypto donors and blockchain entrepreneurs may form the backbone of Trump’s 2026 fundraising machine and cement his image as the “Crypto President.”
Whatever happens next, Trump’s personal fortune and America’s financial identity are now tied to the same volatile digital coin.
Conclusion: The Irony of Donald Trump’s Crypto Journey
In 2019, Donald Trump said Bitcoin was “based on thin air.”
In 2025, much of his wealth and political influence floats on that very same air.
Whether Trump’s crypto empire becomes a model of innovation or a cautionary tale of self-enrichment remains to be seen.
But one thing is certain: no American president has ever tied his financial fate so closely to the digital future of money.
