MELANIA Memecoin Launch Nets Insiders $150 Million

Insiders involved in the launch of the MELANIA memecoin reportedly made over $150 million, including profits from pre-sale trades. According to an analysis, a small group of traders secured nearly $100 million in profits from the MELANIA token within minutes of its market debut. On-chain analysis suggests that two dozen digital wallets purchased $2.6 million worth of tokens less than three minutes before the official announcement of the coin’s launch on Truth Social by Melania Trump. The subsequent price surge enabled rapid liquidation, with 81% of the sales executed within 12 hours.

The MELANIA token’s release followed President Donald Trump’s TRUMP coin, which was launched two days earlier without similar pre-announcement activity. While TRUMP’s distribution began seconds after its official disclosure, the early activity in MELANIA’s case highlights the potential for exploitation during memecoin launches. These tokens, devoid of utility beyond dinner with the president, operate as speculative instruments and are now exempt from securities regulations. Per the SEC’s current view, such trades fall outside federal insider-trading rules.

The wallets involved in the pre-launch accumulation of MELANIA have drawn attention for their possible links to Hayden Davis, a Texas-based crypto entrepreneur. Davis, previously associated with the controversial LIBRA token tied to Argentina’s President Javier Milei, denied profiting from the MELANIA release, stating in an interview with independent journalist Stephen Findeisen, “There was no money made from the Melania team. Zero.” However, blockchain analysis traced early purchases to accounts connected to ventures linked with Davis.

Organizers behind MELANIA, operating through Delaware-based MKT World LLC, have reportedly withdrawn $64.7 million in primary sales and fees, separate from the $99.6 million amassed by early traders. MKT World, previously used by Melania Trump for various ventures since 2021, has yet to clarify its precise role or profit-sharing structure. The First Lady has not commented publicly on the token’s market activity or governance.

Volatility around MELANIA has been punctuated by prior controversies and trading frenzies linked to Trump-family-branded tokens. Weeks later, developer-linked wallets were traced selling over 31 million MELANIA through unilateral liquidity provisioning, driving a steep drop from a peak of $13 to $0.38 before a modest recovery. Further, prior ventures involving Melania Trump’s digital initiatives had faced scrutiny, including allegations of wash trading tied to her “Head of State” NFT in 2022 and an NFT-based philanthropy pitch announced in 2024 targeting foster care programs.

The rapid and lucrative trading around MELANIA further reflects the volatility of politically connected tokens. Similar wallet patterns appeared in the LIBRA scandal, suggesting a recurring strategy of leveraging high-profile figures for crypto speculation. Ethical concerns have also emerged, with former CFTC chair Tim Massad calling the involvement of presidential families in commercial tokens “plainly wrong” due to potential conflicts of interest.

The price of MELANIA stabilized at approximately $0.32 as of May 5, placing the 800 million tokens retained by organizers at a notional valuation near $260 million. The token’s unlock schedule began on Feb. 19, releasing 3% of the supply, with monthly distributions of 2.25% planned thereafter. Despite regulatory gaps and anonymity on-chain, the episode illustrates the growing complexity surrounding political branding in digital assets and the challenges facing retail participants in rapidly evolving crypto markets.