Trump-linked WLFI Token Unlocked for Trading with 99.94% Support

Holders of the World Liberty Financial (WLFI) token, which is connected to former U.S. President Donald Trump, have overwhelmingly voted to unlock the asset, clearing the way for public trading and inviting renewed scrutiny from Washington. A proposal submitted by the WLFI team on July 9 was approved on Wednesday with an impressive 99.94% support. Initially, only tokens sold to early backers will be made tradeable, while the rest of the 100 billion supply will be subject to a future vote on the release schedule.

The WLFI team celebrated the decision, stating that the tradability of the token marks a significant milestone and the beginning of a new phase of community ownership and engagement. This development allows token backers to speculate on WLFI’s value, a freedom they did not have when the asset was first sold in private rounds at $0.015 and $0.05. At launch, WLFI offered governance rights and access to Trump-linked events but remained non-transferable.

The unlocking of WLFI coincides with the broader rollout of Trump-themed crypto ventures, including the $TRUMP memecoin, which is also seeing a major supply boost this week. Some 90 million TRUMP tokens, worth roughly $900 million, are being unlocked, increasing the circulating supply by 45%.

WLFI’s ties to Trump are extensive. His three sons are listed as advisors to the protocol, and Steve Witkoff, a longtime Trump ally now serving as U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, is also involved alongside his sons, who co-founded the project. In October, World Liberty disclosed that a Trump-linked entity, DT Marks DEFI LLC, would receive 22.5 billion tokens. A recent financial disclosure showed Trump personally held 15.75 billion WLFI at the end of 2024.

The move to unlock WLFI is already drawing political fire. Democrats, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Maxine Waters, have raised alarms over what they call a “staggering” conflict of interest between Trump’s policy influence and his financial ties to crypto projects. Waters’ office was blunt in a statement on Sunday, asserting that the $TRUMP memecoin serves no purpose other than to extract money from investors and sell access to the White House.

The WLFI unlock also lands in the middle of what House Republicans dubbed “Crypto Week,” as they attempt to rally support behind three bills—including measures on stablecoins, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and overall market structure. A procedural vote to advance the package failed on Tuesday but was quickly revived after Trump reportedly lobbied GOP holdouts to reverse their position ahead of a renewed vote set for Wednesday.

For now, WLFI is expected to begin trading soon, though the team noted that tokens held by founders, advisors, and core contributors will remain locked on a longer vesting schedule to show “long-term commitment and alignment.”