Trump Family’s Cryptocurrency Ties Raise Concerns Amid Administration’s Regulatory Shifts
As President Donald Trump’s administration continues to loosen regulations on cryptocurrency, the Trump family’s deepening involvement in the industry has sparked fresh ethical concerns and scrutiny from lawmakers and watchdogs.
Since the beginning of Trump’s second term, his administration has taken a series of crypto-friendly actions, including appointing regulators sympathetic to the industry, reducing oversight, and dropping investigations into crypto firms and alleged crypto-related crimes. The administration has also pushed for legislation such as the GENIUS Act, signed into law in July 2025, which further liberalizes the regulatory environment for digital assets.
At the center of the controversy is World Liberty Financial (WLF), a cryptocurrency company co-founded by members of the Trump family and their associates. The company, which launched in October 2024, aims to drive mass adoption of stablecoins and decentralized finance. According to recent disclosures, the Trump family holds a 38% stake in World Liberty through their company, DT Marks DEFI LLC. The company’s stablecoin, USD1, has attracted significant deposits, including a $2 billion deposit from a UAE-backed fund, MGX, which used the stablecoin to acquire a stake in Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange.
Trump’s eldest sons, Eric and Donald Jr., are also involved in the industry through American Bitcoin, a Bitcoin mining firm they founded that merged with American Data Centers in 2025. The Trump family’s assets are held in a trust managed by his children, a move the administration claims eliminates conflicts of interest. However, critics argue that the family’s continued financial stake in crypto ventures creates a clear conflict, especially as the administration enacts policies that could directly benefit their holdings.
According to financial disclosures, President Trump earned $57 million in 2024 from World Liberty Financial, and as of August 2025, the company’s WLFI tokens were valued at $6 billion, with Trump personally owning two-thirds of them. The Trump family and its partners have also made more than $300 million in fees from sales of Trump-themed meme coins, including $Trump and $Melania.
The administration’s crypto-friendly policies have not only benefited the Trump family but also attracted millions of dollars in donations from the broader crypto industry to Trump’s campaign and inauguration. President Trump has publicly embraced the industry, calling himself the “crypto president” and promoting his own cryptocurrency ventures.
These developments have drawn criticism from lawmakers such as Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Jack Reed, who have called for investigations into the ties between administration officials and crypto companies. They specifically cited the case of Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Middle East envoy and a co-founder of World Liberty, whose involvement in both government and the crypto industry has raised questions about potential conflicts of interest. Witkoff helped negotiate a deal to send advanced AI chips to the United Arab Emirates just weeks after the UAE-backed fund deposited $2 billion in World Liberty, a move that critics say blurs the line between public service and private gain.
Some lawmakers, including Representatives Maxine Waters, Stephen Lynch, and Emanuel Cleaver, have warned that the administration’s embrace of cryptocurrency could expose the U.S. to risks similar to those seen during the Great Recession, when unregulated financial products led to widespread economic damage. The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s reported discussions about using cryptocurrency have been described as “simply reckless” by these critics.
As the Trump administration continues to shape the future of cryptocurrency regulation in the United States, the ethical implications of the president’s family’s deep ties to the industry remain a contentious issue. With billions of dollars at stake and the potential for significant policy influence, the debate over conflicts of interest and regulatory oversight is likely to intensify in the months ahead.