Trump-Backed WLFI Tokens Approved for Trading with 99.94% Vote

Tokenholders of the World Liberty Financial (WLFI) project, backed by former US President Donald Trump, have voted overwhelmingly to make their tokens tradable. This decision, which passed with 99.94% approval, will allow the Trump-linked tokens to be traded through peer-to-peer transactions and secondary markets, potentially increasing their value. The proposal, submitted by the WLFI team on July 9, closed on Wednesday, marking a significant step towards greater community involvement in the platform's governance.

The WLFI team emphasized that the token unlock will enable more tokenholders to participate directly in protocol decisions, including voting on emissions, ecosystem incentives, and future treasury actions. This move is seen as the first step in handing greater influence to the community. The token unlock will occur in stages, with a full launch plan to be announced soon. Initially, only a portion of the tokens sold to early supporters will be eligible for trading, while the remainder will be subject to a second community vote to determine the unlock and release schedule. Founders, team, and adviser tokens will not be unlocked immediately and will follow a longer schedule with yet-to-be-determined timing and eligibility requirements.

World Liberty Financial sold WLFI tokens in two tranches. The first tranche, opened in October 2024, sold 20 billion tokens at $0.015 each, generating approximately $300 million. The second tranche, opened in January, sold another five billion tokens at $0.05 each, bringing in $250 million in sales. The token unlock is part of a broader plan to transition from a closed network to one of open participation, which is expected to facilitate speculation and price discovery. Once the tokens become tradable, the team plans to continue ecosystem expansion and align long-term token incentives with protocol adoption.

WLFI was launched on September 16, 2024, and was endorsed by Donald Trump and his sons—Eric, Donald Jr., and Barron Trump. The reported a $57 million profit from WLFI in a June financial disclosure with the US Office of Government Ethics. However, the Trump family has reportedly reduced its stake in the platform since December 2024, holding 40% of the company as of June. The transition to tradable tokens is expected to bring new opportunities and challenges for the platform, as it seeks to balance community involvement with strategic governance.