Trump Launches Meme Coin, Just Like Hawk Tuah Girl, Days Before Inauguration

Very presidential, sir.

Hawk Trumpa

As the world braces for the start of Donald Trump's second term on Monday, you might expect the president-elect to be arms-deep in preparation for the challenging task of running the United States government.

Instead, the world awoke today to news that Trump was following in the footsteps of luminaries like Haliey "Hawk Tuah Girl" Welch and Caitlyn Jenner: by launching his own meme coin, creatively dubbed $TRUMP.

Needless to say, the optics of an incoming American head of state launching his own currency days before an inauguration are absolutely wild; Trump's White House will now be in charge of leading regulation of an industry that he's personally invested in. And we're not talking chump change — since launching last night, the coin's value has spiked from nil to around $30 per token, for a market capitalization of over $6 billion.

"My NEW Official Trump Meme is HERE!" Trump wrote, with a link to an online store where supporters can buy the coin. "It’s time to celebrate everything we stand for: WINNING!"

Don Vivant

Ever the flip-flopper, Trump's embrace of crypto is a complete reversal of his previous position. As recently as 2021, he was lambasting the tech as a "scam."

"The currency of this world should be the dollar," he seethed to Fox Business at the time. "And I don't think we should have all of the Bitcoins of the world out there. I think they should regulate them very, very high."

But Trump seems to have decided his position was more fungible once he smelled the opportunity to make money for himself off the tech. In addition to reaping millions in donations from crypto supporters hoping he'll deregulate the industry, he launched a line of non-fungible tokens last year that made him a pretty penny.

Wading into the muddy waters of crypto, though, represents just one more liability for the once and future president, who's already no stranger to financial crimes. Look no further than Welch and Jenner, both of whom have been dogged by lawsuits in the wake of their splashy forays into the space.

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