The Melania Meme Coin Collapse — and What It Means
Trump-aligned digital tokens and the stock of Trump Media have experienced some of the steepest declines in consumer-facing assets this year, according to financial filings and multiple news reports.
By Brian Daitzman
A cryptocurrency named for First Lady Melania Trump has lost 99 percent of its value since Inauguration Day, while other Trump-linked assets have fallen as much as 80 percent, according to reporting from The Wall Street Journal and corroborating financial outlets.
A digital token branded around First Lady Melania Trump has collapsed 99 percent from its peak, according to a recent report in The Wall Street Journal, which reviewed price data across several Trump-themed cryptocurrencies. The Journal found the token among the worst performers in a broader group of assets tied to the Trump family name.
The losses come as more than half of U.S. households now participate in stock or bond markets, an exposure documented by the Securities and Exchange Commission using Federal Reserve survey data. Analysts say that this widespread participation increases the relevance of highly publicized assets, even when only a subset of investors hold them.
Trump-themed meme coins associated with President Trump have dropped sharply as well. The Wall Street Journal reported that one Trump-branded coin had fallen about 86 percent from inauguration levels, and other crypto-market trackers cited by Newsweek, CryptoNews and CoinDesk have documented similar declines among politically themed tokens.
Public-equity investments tied to President Trump have also faced significant losses. Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns the Truth Social platform and trades under the ticker DJT, is down roughly 75 percent from its inauguration-day price, according to the Journal, Investopedia and independent price-series data compiled by FinanceCharts.
A separate Trump-family-backed project, the World Liberty Financial token known as WLFI, has fallen about 40 percent since its launch in September, according to reporting from the Journal and Reuters. Reuters also reported that a partner company’s stock dropped after it concentrated its balance sheet in WLFI, drawing scrutiny from market analysts.
Company statements summarized by Reuters describe World Liberty Financial as a decentralized finance platform offering both a governance token and a stablecoin linked to the U.S. dollar. The project emphasizes U.S. market focus, and materials reviewed by Reuters show backing from members of the Trump family.
Critics quoted by Reuters and other outlets have raised conflict-of-interest concerns, noting that President Trump oversees agencies that influence federal crypto regulation while his family is associated with digital-asset ventures. The White House has said the president’s assets are held in a family trust and that ethics requirements are being followed.
The downturn in Trump-linked digital assets is unfolding against a broad slump in speculative crypto markets. Business Insider reported that a 2025 cryptocurrency crash erased roughly $1 trillion in global market value and significantly reduced the paper wealth of high-profile holders of politically branded tokens.
Research cited by CryptoNews found that more than 60 percent of Trump-themed meme coins have effectively failed, losing most of their value and trading activity. CoinDesk has reported that at least one high-profile Trump coin is down more than 80 percent from its launch price.
Federal Reserve survey data show that U.S. families’ net worth rose between 2019 and 2022, buoyed by increases in housing and diversified equity holdings, even as narrow speculative assets have remained vulnerable to market swings. Market analysts told The Wall Street Journal and Barron’s that some retail investors were drawn to Trump-aligned assets for political or symbolic reasons rather than fundamentals.
Regulators have cautioned that concentrated positions in speculative assets can expose retail investors to substantial losses. Investor bulletins from the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority warn that meme-driven instruments, political-themed tokens and other volatile assets may not be suitable for households without diversified portfolios.
References
The Wall Street Journal | November 29, 2025 | “Since Trump’s Return, Bets on His Brand Have Soured” | https://www.wsj.com/finance/stocks/donald-trump-djt-stock-crypto-slump-05b89b5b
Securities and Exchange Commission | August 2025 | “U.S. Households’ Participation in Capital Markets” | https://www.sec.gov/data-research/statistics-data-visualizations/us-households-participation-capital-markets
Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System | October 2023 | “Changes in U.S. Family Finances from 2019 to 2022” | https://www.federalreserve.gov/publications/october-2023-changes-in-us-family-finances-from-2019-to-2022.htm
Investopedia | March 10, 2025 | “Trump Media & Technology Stock Has Lost Half Its Value Since Inauguration Day” | https://www.investopedia.com/trump-media-and-technology-stock-has-lost-half-its-value-since-inauguration-day-11694167
Barron’s | May 6, 2025 | “DJT Stock Has Cratered, Wiping Out More Than $5 Billion in Trump Family Wealth” | https://www.barrons.com/articles/djt-stock-trump-bitcoin-9fe0e60
FinanceCharts | November 2025 | “Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT) Stock Price History” | https://www.financecharts.com/stocks/DJT/summary/price
Newsweek | April 2025 | “Trump and Melania Crypto Coins: What Happened After the Election” | https://www.newsweek.com/trump-crypto-coin-melania-meme-price-election-tariffs-2056626
CryptoNews | May 2025 | “Research: Over 60% of Trump Meme Coins Are Dead” | https://cryptonews.com/reports/research-over-60-of-trump-meme-coins-are-dead/
CoinDesk | April 11, 2025 | “Donald Trump’s Memecoin Faces Massive $320M Token Unlock Amid Record Low Price” | https://www.coindesk.com/business/2025/04/11/donald-trump-s-memecoin-faces-massive-usd320m-token-unlock-as-it-slumps-to-record-low
Business Insider | November 2025 | “The Crypto Crash Has Tanked the Investments of the Trump Family and Its Followers” | https://www.businessinsider.com/crypto-crash-trump-family-trumpcoin-bitcoin-djt-btc-meme-coin-2025-11
Brian Daitzman is the Editor of The Intellectualist. Read the original article here.
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Crypto is a scam. Who in the hell would want a coin with that trash on it?
Or one with the convicted felon on it?
It couldn't happen to a more deserving family!