Trump meme coin firm invites top buyers to ‘exclusive’ gala with the president

The firm managing President Trump’s $TRUMP meme coin announced it is hosting an “exclusive” gala for the top 185 holders of the coin, featuring the president as a speaker.

“An evening with 3 Legends and President Donald J. Trump — plus a private meet & greet with a legend to be announced,” the description of the event read, adding, “No attendees will be granted a private meet & greet with the President.”

Trump’s meme coin website said the gala is planned for Nov. 22 at Trump National Golf Club in Washington with the “3 legends” expected to be announced before the event.

The webpage also included that the top 29 qualifying holders are eligible for an exclusive “VIP Reception” at the gala “with your favorite President and one of the Legends.”

A disclaimer in smaller font below stated, “There will be no private meetings with the President. No gifts will be accepted.”

An 18-karat Trump gold watch is promised for the top four holders of the coin.

To be eligible to attend, people must rank above 186th place on a leaderboard when the eligibility window ends on Nov. 12. The website said a user’s scoring will climb “the longer you hold” but warned that if someone dumps all of their $TRUMP coin, “you drop off all active leaderboards.”

In 2025, Trump hosted a similar gala at his golf club with more than 200 top investors in his meme coin — and a tour of the White House for the top 25 holders.

Meme coins — including $TRUMP — are defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a type of crypto asset that are purchased for “entertainment, social interaction and cultural purposes” and have a value “driven primarily by market demand and speculation.”

The coins are cryptocurrencies that have no inherent value, often making them highly volatile assets.

Trump launched the coin before the beginning of his second term in an announcement post that garnered more than 100 million views.

The price of $TRUMP shot up by 550 percent to nearly $30 during its launch, and the market value of the coin was $30 billion on paper, according to CoinGecko . It sits at around $2 on Thursday, with the market value estimated at $580.88 million, but its value notably shot up when the webpage launched Wednesday.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) have called it a “ rug pull ” by Trump and asked the SEC to investigate the president’s ties to the coin.

The SEC clarified in February that meme coins are not a security, moving it to a case-by-case review by the agency to determine if legal action is necessary.

Democratic lawmakers have similarly slammed Trump for his crypto ventures following his financial disclosures revealing he raked in more than $500 million from World Liberty Financial, which he and his sons helped launch in 2024.