Trump's Crypto Policies Sideline Everyday Users, Favoring Elite Investors

- Cointelegraph analysis argues Trump's policies favor wealthy investors and political elites. - The critique centers on deregulation and "politico-coins." On June 5, 2025, Cointelegraph reported that President Donald Trump's cryptocurrency policy faces criticism for benefitting wealthy investors and political elites. According to the report, Elias Vilochkin, Chief Product Officer of ChangeNOW, contended in an opinion piece that the Trump administration's push for deregulation in the crypto industry is leading to a consolidation of power among a select few. Vilochkin's opinion piece, as detailed by Cointelegraph, highlighted World Liberty Financial, the Trump family's crypto venture, as a prime example. The Cointelegraph report also noted that around the same time the administration began to loosen oversight of the crypto industry, World Liberty Financial launched its own stablecoin and digital tokens. In addition, the Department of Justice disbanded its national cryptocurrency enforcement team, which previously investigated money laundering and fraud. The Cointelegraph report on June 5 further suggested that Trump's public enthusiasm for digital currencies serves as a business strategy to benefit ventures like World Liberty Financial. The report also conveyed Vilochkin's views on the rise of "politico-coins"—cryptocurrencies linked to political figures—which he identified as a troubling trend that may centralize influence in the hands of a few. According to Vilochkin, as reported by Cointelegraph, this approach contradicts cryptocurrency's original promise of providing financial sovereignty for the average person, especially those underserved by traditional financial systems. Therefore, he called for a return to cryptocurrency's core mission, which he believes should focus on practical applications, such as reducing remittance fees or offering stable digital currency options in countries with volatile local currencies. The Cointelegraph report on June 5 also included information from May 2025, indicating that President Trump's family had significantly increased its wealth, partly due to their crypto ventures. These ventures reportedly include meme coins like $TRUMP and $MELANIA, and a stake in World Liberty Financial. An estimate cited in the report suggested that Trump's crypto holdings account for nearly 40% of his net worth, or approximately $2.9 billion. The $TRUMP meme coin, which launched in January 2025, reportedly had an aggregate market value exceeding $27 billion shortly after its release, with Trump-owned companies holding a majority of these coins. According to CoinMarketCap on June 5, as of 15:10 UTC, World Liberty Financial USD (USD1) traded at $1.00, and its 24-hour volume had decreased by 3.6%.