Trump Hosts Meme Coin Holders Amid Bitcoin Surge, Protests

Donald Trump hosted a dinner at his golf club near Washington, D.C., inviting his largest holders of meme coins and other guests. The event, however, was met with protests as guests arrived. The previous day, Bitcoin surged to a new record high, driven by optimistic expectations of U.S. government support for the cryptocurrency industry.

Investor Justin Sun, who is currently dealing with a regulatory case in the U.S., shared a video of himself at the Trump dinner on X. Trump also announced his attendance on Truth Social, stating, "America leads in cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, and more, and we will keep it that way!"

Among the attendees was retired NBA player Lamar Odom. As guests arrived at the Trump National Golf Club, approximately 100 protesters gathered near the security checkpoint, shouting slogans such as "Shame!" and "I hope you choke on your dinner!" They held signs with messages like "Stop Crypto Corruption," "America is not for sale," and "Meme coin scammers to jail."

Inside the venue, each table featured a large banner reading "Fight Fight Fight," honoring the company that launched the Trump meme coin. Gift bags placed on the chairs contained black hats and pins, also bearing the "Fight Fight Fight" slogan. The menu included dishes such as garden vegetable salad, filet mignon, pan-seared halibut, garlic mashed potatoes, and mixed vegetables.

The event drew criticism from Democratic senators, including Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Adam Schiff of California. They pointed out potential conflicts of interest and the possibility that access to the president could be sold, particularly to foreigners.

"In effect, he has put a 'For Sale' sign on the White House lawn," said Connecticut Senator Richard Blumenthal in an interview on May 9. "This dinner further clarifies and exacerbates our concerns." On Thursday, Blumenthal participated in a press conference discussing what he described as "unprecedented presidential crypto corruption."

To qualify for the dinner, holders of the Trump meme coin had to register on an online leaderboard that tracked their average holdings over three weeks. The top 220 holders were invited to the dinner, while the top 25 were also invited to a special pre-dinner reception with the president. Analysis revealed that over half of the largest holders used foreign exchanges, which claim to prohibit U.S. users, suggesting that many buyers were based outside the U.S. One of the guests was Morten Christensen, who resides in Mexico and operates AirdropAlert.com, a website that tracks token airdrops. He spent approximately 1,200 dollars to secure a dinner seat.

According to Christensen, Trump reiterated his commitment to making the U.S. the global hub for cryptocurrency during his speech at the dinner. After Trump's departure, one of the event organizers, Bill Zanker, introduced Justin Sun to the attendees. Sun briefly addressed the crowd, emphasizing that the cryptocurrency industry should support Trump, given the regulatory challenges faced by crypto operators over the past decade. Sun also posed for photos with the attendees.