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On August 27, 2626, the NGO Public Citizen published a report revealing the extent of the damage caused by Donald Trump’s crypto products. The contrast is particularly striking: the US president pockets 1.4 billion dollars in 2025, while the losses of his investors amount to more than 4.7 billion dollars.
In brief
- A report by the NGO Public Citizen, published on August 27, 2026, estimates investors’ losses in Donald Trump’s crypto products at 4.7 billion dollars.
- The president personally earned 1.4 billion dollars in 2025 through these same products, without investing a single cent.
- The memecoin $TRUMP alone concentrates 3.2 billion dollars in losses, with 65% of buyers currently in the red.
- The report arrives ahead of a key US Senate vote on crypto regulation, scheduled for September 15.
A damning report on crypto investors’ losses
The report is titled “Thin Air, Real Money” and was written by Zach Everson, research director of the Trump Accountability Project at Public Citizen. It scrutinizes 5 families of digital assets:
- The Trump Digital Trading Cards NFTs;
- The WLFI token launched in August 2025;
- The memecoin $TRUMP;
- The USD1 stablecoin;
- Trump Media’s crypto treasury.
The result is unequivocal: together, these crypto products have caused holders to lose at least 4.7 billion dollars. The memecoin $TRUMP still concentrates the majority of losses with 3.2 billion dollars vanished. An analysis conducted by Nansen at the request of Public Citizen even reveals that 65% of wallets currently show a negative balance. At the time of writing this article, this crypto asset trades around $2.70 (far from the $73.43 peak reached just two days after its launch).
Meanwhile, the WLFI governance token shows nearly one billion dollars in losses. Moreover, its value has dropped more than 80% since its all-time high in September 2025. The NFTs, meanwhile, have lost nearly three quarters of their initial value since 2022. The report published by Public Citizen states a cumulative deficit of $9.3 million.
The only notable exception? The stablecoin USD1. Overall, it retains its value.
Trump’s $1.4 billion gain reignites debate on conflicts of interest
In his 2025 financial statement (certified June 30, 2026), Donald Trump claims $1.4 billion in income from his crypto activities in 2025. The report is all the more shocking as the US president asserts he did not invest a single cent of his own money.
The numbers reveal a very different reality:
- $7.2 million via royalties on NFT cards;
- $557 million from the sale of the $WLFI token;
- $635 million in licensing fees on the memecoin $TRUMP;
- $197 million in capital contributions made to World Liberty Financial.
Co-founded with his sons Donald Jr. and Eric, this DeFi project also guarantees him a continuing share in the platform’s future revenue.
Of course, these amounts in no way mean that Trump profited from the latent losses of his crypto investors. Nevertheless, they reignite the debate on conflict of interest. In this context, Public Citizen co-chair Lisa Gilbert accuses the president of turning his office into a tool for enrichment. An accusation, of course, denied by the White House!
The Public Citizen report comes at a critical moment for crypto regulation in the United States
According to the schedule, the Senate is to vote on the CLARITY Act on September 15. Strongly supported by the Trump administration, this bill aims to clarify the status of digital assets. However, Public Citizen condemns its insufficiency on ethical issues.
Specifically, the NGO calls for a law clearly prohibiting a sitting president from launching, holding, and even less promoting a crypto asset subject to his own regulation. In this regard, Zach Everson stated:
The president’s policy choices and his personal portfolio cannot be separated.
The report also highlights the international connections of these crypto products. Indeed, part of the USD1 stablecoin is held by interests based in the United Arab Emirates. The crypto exchange Binance plays a central upstream role in the circulation of several of these assets.
In any case, this case shows how celebrity, power, and crypto can become intertwined. For the crypto market, a fundamental question arises: how to guarantee the integrity of rules when the primary regulator is also a major player in the sector?
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My name is Ariela, and I am 31 years old. I have been working in the field of web writing for 7 years now. I only discovered trading and cryptocurrency a few years ago, but it is a universe that greatly interests me. The topics covered on the platform allow me to learn more. A singer in my spare time, I also cultivate a great passion for music and reading (and animals!)
DISCLAIMER
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article belong solely to the author, and should not be taken as investment advice. Do your own research before taking any investment decisions.
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