Protesters mob Trump golf course guests ahead of exclusive crypto dinner
Demonstrators held signs reading â??Stop Crypto Corruption,â?? â??America is not for sale,â?? as well as brandishing a large gold coin featuring a large image of the presidentâ??s scowling face
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Some 100 protesters gathered outside Donald Trumpâs National Golf Course club in Virginia ahead of a secretive dinner for investors in his cryptocurrency â with spots reportedly costing over $1.5 million to dine with the president.
Holding signs reading âStop Crypto Corruption,â âAmerica is not for sale,â âGrift Gala,â as well as brandishing a large gold coin featuring a large image of Trumpâs scowling face, the demonstrators shouted âshame, shame, shameâ as the presidential motorcade arrived.
The controversial event was advertised last month as âthe most EXCLUSIVE INVITATIONâ in the world, and involved a competition to buy access to the president by purchasing the most $TRUMP crypto currency. Around 80 percent of the meme coinâs supply is controlled by the Trump Organization and its affiliates.
The dinner is being hosted for the top 220 investors in the cryptocurrency, and the top 25 are also due to join him for a cocktail reception on Friday, according to The New York Times.
Around 100 protesters gathered outside Donald Trumpâs National Golf Course club in Virginia ahead of a secretive dinner for investors in his cryptocurrency ( AP) Demonstrators held signs reading âStop Crypto Corruption,â âAmerica is not for sale,â as well as a large gold coin featuring a large image of the presidentâs scowling face (AP )Other protesters on Thursday held signs demanding the release of the guest list for the event, which the White House has refused to make public. Critics have complained that Trump is not only using his high-profile position to profit from his meme coin, but he can also reward investors with special public favors to continue their investments.
âIt is the Mount Everest of corruption,â Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon said Thursday. âThis isnât about raising money for a campaign. This is about personal profit, and what heâs selling is influence on himself and his Cabinet and the U.S. government.â He planned to attend the protest.
Photos posted to social media by the guests showed they were treated to an extravagant dinner including filet mignon and seared halibut.
According to NBC News, which cited blockchain analytics company Nansen, the guests spent a total of $394 million on the $TRUMP cryptocurrency for a chance to dine with the man heading one of the most powerful nations in the world, and the average attendee spent $1.78 million.
The presence of numerous anonymous, foreign buyers spark concerns from Democrats about the ethics of dinner with such intimate and unfettered access to the president (AP ) Protesters heckle guests as they arrived at the dinner at Trumpâs golf course in Virginia on Thursday. The White House has refused to release the guestlist ( AP)Analysis by Bloomberg News suggested all but six of the top 25 investors used foreign exchanges that exclude customers living in the U.S. â suggesting that they are foreign buyers. Over 50 percent of the 220 holders used similar offshore exchanges, the outlet reported.
The presence of numerous anonymous, foreign buyers spark particular concerns by Democrats about the ethics of dinner with such intimate and unfettered access to the president.
Earlier, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied suggestions that the competition and resulting investment and reward dinner with the president was inappropriate, telling reporters that Trump was attending the dinner âin his personal time.â
âIt is not a White House dinner,â she said, later adding: âItâs absurd for anyone to insinuate that this president is profiting off of the presidency.â
Demonstrators protest near Trump National Golf Club Washington DC before the arrival of President Donald Trump in Sterling, Virginia (AP ) The controversial event was advertised last month as âthe most EXCLUSIVE INVITATIONâ in the world, and involved a competition to buy access to the president by purchasing $TRUMP. Around 80 percent of the memecoinâs supply is controlled by the Trump Organization and its affiliates ( AP)âThis president was incredibly successful before giving it all up to serve our country publicly,â she added. âNot only has he lost wealth, but he also almost lost his life. He has sacrificed a lot to be here.â In fact, Trump is significantly wealthier than when he first became president.
The protesters were not as convinced as Leavitt.
âIt is like a black-market scheme,â Rose Fabia, 66, of Arlington, Virginia, told The New York Times. âHe will use crypto as a way to line his pockets.â
Some of the guests who have made themselves known have raised eyebrows, including Justin Sun, a billionaire who runs the Tron platform â who revealed on X that he had been the top investor in $TRUMP.
âHonored to support @POTUS and grateful for the invitation from @GetTrumpMemes to attend President Trumpâs Gala Dinner as his TOP fan!â Sun wrote. According to The Times, Sun was charged with fraud by the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2023, but his case was dropped shortly after Trump came to power in January.
In January, Trump signed an executive order establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve for the U.S., and directed his administration to promote the use of blockchain (AP)Back then, Trump signed an executive order establishing a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve for the U.S., and directed his administration to promote the use of blockchain.
But the presidentâs desire to integrate crypto more with the U.S. financial system has worried some who believe his personal endeavors with his memecoin and crypto company, World Liberty Financial, poses a conflict of interest between what serves him best, and what serves the nation.
State Democracy Defenders Action, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting election sabotage and autocracy, said in a recent report that Trump will âlikely profit from the very policies he is pursuing.â
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