Trump's $6B WLFI Stake Unlocks as DeFi Wealth Grows

The upcoming unlocking of $483 million worth of WLFI tokens on September 1 has raised concerns among investors about the potential for a market crash reminiscent of Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign finances. World Liberty Financial, a DeFi project linked to Trump, is set to release the first batch of its WLFI token through a controlled distribution mechanism called Lockbox. Early supporters who invested at $0.015 and $0.05 per token will be able to claim 20% of their holdings on that date, accounting for approximately 5% of the total supply [1].

The token, built on the Ethereum blockchain, will be transferred via a secure smart contract, requiring investors to connect their digital wallets to the official site to initiate the unlocking process. The remaining 80% of tokens will be governed by the community, emphasizing the project’s decentralized structure. Founders, advisors, and partners have locked their holdings to stabilize the market during the token’s initial liquidity period [1].

Cyfrin, a prominent Web3 security firm, has audited the smart contracts, ensuring compliance with industry standards. Presale wallets have also been verified to exclude non-compliant addresses, adding another layer of security to the project. WLFI is expected to debut on major exchanges such as Binance, Coinbase, and Hyperliquid, with official listings to be announced in the near future [1].

Behind the token is DT Marks DEFI LLC, a holding entity connected to Trump, which controls 22.5 billion WLFI tokens. At the current futures price range of $0.20–$0.30, the project’s fully diluted valuation exceeds $40 billion. Trump’s stake of 15.75 billion tokens is valued at more than $6 billion, surpassing Forbes’ estimated $5 billion net worth for the . This indicates a growing portion of Trump’s wealth is now tied to digital assets, including NFTs, memecoins, and major cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum [1].

The ethical implications of Trump’s involvement have drawn criticism, particularly in light of the recently passed GENIUS Act, which regulates stablecoins but omits conflict-of-interest provisions. The simultaneous introduction of World Liberty’s stablecoin, USD1, has intensified scrutiny from lawmakers and raised questions about regulatory oversight [1].

The WLFI token’s launch comes amid broader DeFi expansion, with total value locked in decentralized finance platforms surpassing $167 billion. Post-election regulatory developments in the U.S. have created a more favorable environment for DeFi projects, drawing investor attention to initiatives with high-profile backing like WLFI [1].

Source:

[1] Trump to Launch $40B WLFI Token September 1 (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-launch-40b-wlfi-token-155918167.html)