Trump Family Crypto Fortune Swells to $5B After WLFI Unlock

Key Insights:

• Trump family’s WLFI stake reached $5B after scheduled token unlock.
• WLFI briefly spiked to $0.40 before dropping near $0.21.
• Trump’s crypto ventures now rival his real estate wealth in value.

The Trump family’s wealth surged by roughly $5 billion this week after World Liberty Financial unlocked its WLFI token supply. The scheduled release briefly boosted WLFI’s market value before a sharp retracement.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Donald Trump’s three sons — Donald Jr., Barron, and Eric — co-founded the project, while the president is listed as an “honorary co-founder.” The family’s holdings represented less than 25% of the supply but quickly became their most valuable asset, surpassing real estate.

WLFI Token Unlock Triggers Multi-Billion Valuation

World Liberty Financial disclosed on its website that DT Marks DeFi LLC, alongside “certain family members,” held 22.5 billion WLFI tokens. On Monday, the firm unlocked 24.6 billion WLFI tokens to establish an initial circulating supply.

The move pushed WLFI’s price to $0.40 before sliding to around $0.21 at publication time. Based on those figures, the Trump family’s stake reached a paper value of about $5 billion.

World Liberty previously stated founders’ holdings would remain locked. However, the fresh unlock effectively revalued the Trump family’s portion of tokens, drawing fresh attention to their growing crypto exposure.

Phishing Exploit Hits WLFI Tokenholders

The launch of WLFI also coincided with reports of theft targeting tokenholders. SlowMist founder Yu Xian said attackers exploited Ethereum’s EIP-7702 upgrade, part of the Pectra update in May, to drain WLFI wallets.

EIP-7702 allowed externally owned accounts to act temporarily like smart contract wallets, delegating rights for batch transactions. While intended to improve user experience, hackers used it to plant malicious delegate contracts inside victim wallets. When deposits were made, attackers quickly “snatched” WLFI tokens.

“Encountered another player whose multiple addresses’ WLFI were all stolen,” Xian wrote on X. He said the thefts occurred when leaked private keys enabled malicious contracts to hijack gas fees and redirect transfers.

One WLFI forum user said only 20% of their tokens were moved before hackers drained the rest. Another warned that whitelist wallets used for WLFI presales were especially vulnerable. Community members urged the WLFI team to provide safer transfer options.

Xian advised affected holders to replace malicious delegate contracts and withdraw tokens into secure wallets. He added that phishing attacks, not flaws in the WLFI code, usually caused the initial key leakage.

Surpassing Real Estate in Family Portfolio

Wu Blockchain noted that the WLFI windfall may have lifted the family’s crypto assets in value above their real estate empire. Trump and his sons endorsed the company after its September 2024 launch, tying it directly to his presidential campaign.

The project added to a growing roster of ventures linked to the president. These included the TRUMP memecoin, trading near $8.37, and a family-linked Bitcoin mining company. Each project attracted scrutiny from lawmakers, who warned that financial ties to the president could complicate policy decisions in Washington.

The New Yorker earlier reported that Trump personally gained $2.4 billion from crypto ventures since 2022, well before the WLFI unlock. That included $243 million in crypto deals with the United Arab Emirates and $1.3 billion tied to Trump Media and Technology Group’s Bitcoin holdings.

Political Scrutiny Intensifies

The scale of the WLFI unlock raised concerns in political circles. Critics suggested the president’s role in crypto ventures risked creating conflicts of interest. Lawmakers warned that such financial stakes could give foreign governments or private investors new levers of influence over U.S. decision-making.

Chinese state media previously argued that Beijing could leverage its crypto reach against Trump family’s wealth. These claims, though unverified, added fuel to an already tense debate in Washington about the intersection of politics and digital assets.

Mining Venture Prepares to Go Public

The Trump family’s crypto ambitions extended beyond WLFI. American Bitcoin, their mining company, is prepared to list publicly after a merger with Gryphon Digital. The combined entity will trade under the ticker ABTC following a reverse five-to-one stock split.

Before the merger, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump held a 20% stake in American Bitcoin. Gemini co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss reportedly invested an undisclosed amount in the venture, adding institutional weight to the listing.

Shares were expected to begin trading Tuesday, offering another benchmark for assessing the Trump family’s growing presence in the digital asset industry.

WLFI Unlock Fuels Debate Over Crypto Wealth

The WLFI unlock underscored the scale of wealth created by token launches tied to political figures. Trump’s portfolio already included a memecoin and a mining firm, but WLFI’s $5 billion valuation marked a dramatic escalation.

With WLFI prices quickly retracing and phishing scams adding risk, questions emerged about how much of the paper wealth could be realized. Nonetheless, the episode highlighted the volatility of crypto-linked fortunes and the political complications they carried into the 2024–2025 campaign cycle.

Disclaimer

This article is for informational purposes only and provides no financial, investment, or other advice. The author or any people mentioned in this article are not responsible for any financial loss that may occur from investing in or trading. Please do your research before making any financial decisions.