Top Trump Crypto Buyers Vying for Dinner Seats Are Likely Foreign, Data Shows

[Nevilledog]

https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2025-trump-memecoin-foreign-crypto-traders/?embedded-checkout=true

No paywall link
https://archive.li/vTKe1

More than half of the top holders of President Donald Trump’s memecoin — who are jockeying for dinner with the president — have used foreign exchanges that say they ban US users, suggesting that many of the purchasers are based outside the US.

Buyers of the Trump token, a cryptocurrency the president began marketing days before his inauguration, drove sales higher in the past two weeks after its issuers announced an unprecedented promotion: More than 200 of the memecoin’s largest holders would be invited to attend a May 22 dinner with Trump at his Virginia golf club, while the top 25 would qualify for an exclusive reception beforehand and what the memecoin’s website describes as a “VIP” tour.

Now, an analysis by Bloomberg News shows that all but six of the top 25 holders who have registered on the website’s leaderboard used foreign exchanges that say they exclude customers living in the US. More broadly, at least 56% of the leaderboard’s top 220 holders used similar offshore exchanges. The prevalence of these likely foreign buyers echoes concerns that congressional Democrats have expressed about the ethics of marketing the coin with a promise of presidential access. And it raises questions about how attendees at the promotional dinner, who are publicly identified only by three- or four-letter usernames they’ve chosen, will be vetted.

In the website’s fine print, organizers say attendees must pass a background check. “We will also screen your wallet for KYC & compliance purposes. You are having Dinner with the President of the USA!” the website reads. (Wallets are digital tools that store the private keys owners use to access and manage cryptocurrencies. And “KYC” is a common term for the steps financial institutions take to know their customers.) The website provides no explanation of how such vetting would be conducted.

*snip*

[Irish_Dem]

1. Rich foreigners are bribing Trump to further their own interests. Not US interests.

[tanyev]

2. Gosh, it's as if the President of the United States of America is for sale to foreign bidders.

[cliffside]

3. knr. nt