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Trump

Surprise Press Conference Reveals Trump Still Not Dead

by admin September 3, 2025

After a weekend of online speculation, conspiracies, and jokes about President Donald Trump’s current state of health, the controversial leader held a conference in the White House that was technically about Space Command moving from Colorado to Alabama, but served as a proof of life for many online. And when he appeared alive and mostly well, a lot of people were disappointed.

Starting late last week, rumors began to swirl online that something had happened to President Donald Trump. Reports of music being played in the Rose Garden led some to speculate that it was covering up doctors shouting or the aging President crying out in pain. As the weekend continued, Trump seemed to spend most of the holiday inside the White House. When he did appear outside, photos showed a man who many claimed looked extremely tired, out of it, and sickly. It didn’t help that the White House and Trump shared a photo that claimed to be the President golfing over the weekend, but which was actually from earlier. A popular thread spread on Twitter with all sorts of claims, including theories related to Trump keeping his mouth open more often and bruises seen on his hands.

So when the White House announced on Monday that Trump was going to make an announcement about…something, people were extremely curious to see the president. Was he dead? Was he alive? Was he being puppeted by VP JD Vance? Sadly for those wishing for the worst, Trump appeared mostly fine and as stable as you’d expect during his Tuesday conference.

On YouTube and Twitch, the chat quickly turned hostile and disappointed when Trump appeared and began speaking without any signs of a stroke or other medical issue. And on BlueSky and other social media platforms, people expressed their disappointment that Trump was still alive and kicking. Others pored over every frame of him talking during the event to see if they could spot any signs of something wrong.

Update on the white house stream, chat is disappointed pic.twitter.com/Y95jgJANYX

— RAYMAGEDDON‼️ (@Raymagedd0n) September 2, 2025

At one point during the conference, which was primarily about Trump moving Space Command’s HQ from Colorado to Alabama, Trump was asked by a reporter about the rumors of his death and medical emergency over the holiday weekend. This didn’t go over well with Trump, who first denied hearing about this, and then seemingly confirmed he had heard the rumors about his untimely demise.

“I also did a number of Truths,” he said, referring to his posts on social media network Truth Social. “Long Truths, and I think pretty poignant Truths,” said Trump. “No, I was very active over the weekend.” Trump also claimed the media, aka “Fake News,” incorrectly reported on his death or illness, adding: “[The media asked] Is he okay? How’s he feeling? What’s wrong?”

Here’s the video of the full conference, which, as of 3:15 pm EST, was still dragging as Trump talked about many other topics, including school shootings, elections, and more.

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September 3, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

Morning Minute: Trump Family Makes $6B as WLFI Goes Live

by admin September 2, 2025

Morning Minute is a daily newsletter written by Tyler Warner. The analysis and opinions expressed are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of Decrypt. Subscribe to the Morning Minute on Substack.

GM!

Today’s top news:

Crypto majors slightly green out of long weekend; BTC at $110,000
Trump family WLFI token has volatile debut, now at $25B FDV
BMNR discloses $8.98B in crypto holdings + cash on hand
Hyperliquid posts $100M in monthly revenue, new ATH
Pudgy Party reaches top 10 in iOS Free Games rankings

🇺🇸🦅 Trump Family’s WLFI Goes Live

The Trump family has officially launched another token.

And added nearly $6B in paper wealth to the family stack.

📌 What Happened

Within hours, the token ranked among the most valuable new coins by market cap, while disclosures indicate the Trump family holds 22.5B WLFI (worth ~$6B at current prices (tokens are locked under a TBD vesting schedule).

Quick TL;DR on WLFI:

Chain & design: WLFI is an Ethereum token tied to World Liberty’s planned lending/borrowing platform (the DeFi app itself hasn’t launched yet)
Early trading stats: WLFI was trading in the $30B-$40B FDV range on Hyperliquid premarket before going down only on Monday
Sale history: Public rounds priced WLFI at $0.015 and $0.05, raising ~$500–$550M, meaning early buyers were up ~1,700% at peak intraday prices
Float & locks: ~24.7B WLFI circulating out of 100B total supply; 33.5B team tokens are locked with vesting TBD (family’s 22.5B WLFI are included in locked holdings)
Ecosystem tie-ins: WLFI sits alongside the project’s dollar stablecoin USD1, already live and listed among major stables

As for price action, the token opened around $0.35 before falling all the way to $0.21 and rebounding to $0.25 overnight.

A volatile start, and expect more volatility as new proposals like the late evening token buyback and burn proposal continue to push through.

🗣️ What They’re Saying

“We are now live!!!! Our team has always believed in American strength and leadership. With today’s WLFI token launch, we’re setting a new standard for financial freedom; built on trust, speed, and U.S. values. This is a huge moment for the future of money!” Eric Trump on X

“Big day – World Liberty Fi just launched the $WLFI token. This isn’t some meme coin, it’s the governance backbone of a real ecosystem changing how money moves. Freedom + finance + America FIRST. Home Team” — Donald Trump, Jr. on X

the bull thesis on @worldlibertyfi is pretty simple

this is the trump boys’ dynastic legacy on the line here

hard to see the other crypto stuff they’re doing work on massive scale if wlfi doesn’t

high 10 or 11 figures in future value of all their crypto projects on the line

— Mike Dudas (@mdudas) September 1, 2025

🧠 Why It Matters

The bull case for WLFI is fairly straightforward.

Few tokens launch with this level of built-in audience and national attention.

And many believe that the Trump family’s future in crypto hinges on the success (or failure) of this project.

So they’ll have every incentive to pump the token.

But on the bear side, the protocol is effectively an AAVE fork (and not even live yet!) and trading 4-5x higher.

Plus the vesting schedule is apparently TBD and can be changed via vote, meaning large unlocks could come unexpectedly.

With presalers up so much, expect more sell pressure for the near future. But if and when it finds a bottom, don’t be surprised if WLFI does go on a run.

And of course, any announcements or surprises from the team could change that trajectory…

🌎 Macro Crypto and Memes

A few Crypto and Web3 headlines that caught my eye:

In Corporate Treasuries

In Memes

Memecoin leaders are mixed and chopping on the day; DOGE -2%, Shiba even, PEPE -1%, PENGU +1%, BONK -3%, TRUMP -8%, SPX -5%, and FARTCOIN +2%
PWEASE (+90%) and SPARK (+45%) led top onchain movers

💰 Token, Airdrop & Protocol Tracker

Here’s a rundown of major token, protocol and airdrop news from the day:

Hyperliquid posted its highest-ever revenue month in August with over $102M in revenue
LINEA opened for pre-market trading on Hyperliquid at $0.04 (~$3B FDV)
Pudgy Party reached 7th in the iOS ‘Free Games’ app store rankings over the weekend
Yeet is approaching its $500M milestone on Monday, while Myriad hit $10M in lifetime prediction market volume (Disclaimer: Myriad is a prediction market launched by Decrypt‘s parent company DASTAN)
Pigskin dot Fun launched an NFL-style fantasy card game over the weekend, then issued refunds to participants after several issues with its mint

🤖 AI x Crypto

Section dedicated to headlines in the AI sector of crypto:

Overall market cap fell 2% at $12.7B, leaders were mixed
FARTCOIN (+2%), VIRTUAL (-4%), TIBBIR (+4%), aixbt (-3%) & ai16z (-9%)
CAESAR (+20%) and IRIS (+20%) led top movers

🚚 What is happening in NFTs?

Here is the list of other notable headlines from the day in NFTs:

ETH NFT leaders were mostly even over the weekend; Punks even at 46.5 ETH, Pudgy even at 10.1, BAYC -6% at 9.1 ETH
PROOF PASS (+39%) was a notable top mover
Bitcoin NFTs were mostly flat, led by Twelvefold (+11%)
Abstract NFTs were mixed, led by Abstractio (+20%)
XCOPY’s “hello admin dm me” sold for 70 ETH ($308,000) on Gondi

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September 2, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

Gavin Newsom Wants to Launch a Meme Coin Just to Troll Trump

by admin September 1, 2025

In brief

California governor Gavin Newsom has been trolling President Donald Trump in an ongoing campaign.
In his latest idea to poke fun at the crypto-friendly president, Newsom said he will release his own meme coin.
Democrats have criticized President Trump’s crypto ventures, particularly his meme coin, Official Trump.

California governor Gavin Newsom has said he will release his own meme coin in the Democratic politician’s latest dig at President Donald Trump.

Newsom said Friday on the Pivot with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway podcast that he’d step up his campaign to mock President Trump by releasing “Trump Corruption Coin.”

The California governor joked that the upcoming cryptocurrency would do better than the digital token President Trump released in January, the Solana-based cryptocurrency that trades as Official Trump.

“We’re about to put a meme coin out and you know what, Donald Trump? We’ll see how well your coin does versus our coin,” Newsom said.

He added that “Trump Corruption Coin” would be the best name for the asset. Turning serious, Newsom then said: “This is one of the great grifters of our time,” referring to President Trump. “This is just jaw-dropping.”

Newsom has been mocking the U.S. president by posting on X in Trump’s signature style, and copying his language and famous phrases.

Decrypt was unable to reach Gavin Newsom’s office.

President Trump ahead of his January inauguration released Official Trump—or TRUMP—a meme coin that runs on the Solana network.

The token shot up in value before quickly crashing—as meme coins tend to do—and Democrats have since criticized the commander-in-chief for cashing in on this and various other crypto ventures.

TRUMP is the 77th biggest cryptocurrency with a market cap of nearly $1.7 billion. It was recently trading for $8.42, according to CoinGecko, well below the all-time high of $73.43 it hit following its January debut.

Meme coins are cryptocurrencies based on Internet culture, often celebrities or online jokes. They are known for their extreme volatility and relatively short shelf lives.

President Trump campaigned to help the cryptocurrency industry, promising to ease regulations as president, create a national Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and going so far as to say all future Bitcoin would be mined by U.S. companies. He received significant backing from the industry during his campaign as a result.

But opposition politicians have said the president is lining his pockets with his crypto ventures, and have criticized Trump for his apparent conflicts of interest.

On Monday, a crypto project backed by President Trump, his sons, and the White House’s special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, debuted its token on major exchanges.

WLFI, which is the governance token of Ethereum-based World Liberty Financial, gave the project a valuation of over $26 billion following its debut on exchanges like Coinbase and Kraken. The Trump family owns a significant portion of the WLFI token supply, their share valued today at nearly $6 billion.

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September 1, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

Trump Family Share of World Liberty Crypto Grows to $6 Billion

by admin September 1, 2025

In brief

President Trump and his family saw their net worth surge by almost $6 billion after trading began for WLFI.
The family collectively owns 22.5 billion WLFI tokens, now valued at nearly $6 billion, though the tokens remain locked under a vesting schedule that has not yet been determined.
WLFI’s market debut gave the project a valuation above $26 billion, even though the DeFi platform itself has not yet launched.

President Donald Trump and members of his family saw their net worth increase by nearly $6 billion Monday, in the minutes after public trading of their Ethereum token WLFI went live.

The token, which allows holders to participate in the governance of World Liberty Financial, the Trumps’ crypto platform, was previously locked and untradable. This morning, WLFI launched trading capability, setting the token’s previously undermined price at just over $0.30. It has since slipped to roughly $0.26 at writing.

That’s a substantial jump for WLFI, which was initially sold to investors for 1.5 cents a token in the fall, and then for 5 cents a token during a second round of fundraising. The company raised a total of $500 million from those public sales.

It’s a particularly rosy outcome for the Trumps—who collectively own 22.5 billion WLFI tokens, according to a disclosure on the World Liberty Financial website. That pile of tokens, representing nearly a quarter of the project’s total supply, is now worth a whopping $5.96 billion based on current prices.

The disclosure notes the tokens are owned by an entity affiliated with the president and “certain family members.” The identity of those family members have not been disclosed, though Trump’s sons—Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., and Barron Trump—are all co-founders of World Liberty.

Will the Trumps soon be able to dump those tokens on other investors and turn a massive profit? The answer is murky.

A statement issued by World Liberty earlier on Monday announced that 33.5 billion WLFI tokens reserved for team members are currently not circulating, and still remain locked. Those tokens will be unlocked over time via a vesting schedule, the project said, but that schedule remains “TBD.”

A World Liberty representative did not immediately respond when asked by Decrypt for any clarity on when a vesting schedule for the Trumps might be determined, or how long of a schedule it might be.

There are currently roughly 24.7 billion WLFI tokens in circulation, out of a total supply of 100 billion. At current prices, the token’s fully diluted valuation is worth over $26 billion.

World Liberty Financial is a decentralized finance project promising to connect non-tech savvy retail consumers with the often-opaque world of self-custodied crypto transactions. Despite launching its own stablecoin earlier this year, though, the platform has yet to launch.

Since returning to office, the president and his family have increased their net worths by billions of dollars, via crypto projects including World Liberty and the Trump meme coin. Earlier this year, Trump and his family netted hundreds of millions of dollars from initial sales of WLFI to investors.

In a disclosure filed in June, the president said he pocketed $57 million from World Liberty in 2024. That number is poised to be far higher in 2025.

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September 1, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

If Trump is Dead, How Would it impact the Crypto Market?

by admin August 31, 2025

The speculation is taking over the internet: Trump is dead. While it’s just buzz right now, the chatter has caught the attention of crypto enthusiasts and traders alike. The question everyone’s asking if these speculations are true, what would happen to Bitcoin, and the entire crypto market, without the man who has, knowingly or not, had a massive impact on it?

Trump’s Impact on the Crypto Market

US President Donald Trump’s impact on the crypto market isn’t something people talk about enough. The man might not have been the first person you’d expect to support cryptocurrencies, but his administration actually gave them a big boost.

Trump didn’t really clamp down on crypto. Instead, he pretty much let the market grow without much interference, and that gave Bitcoin the space it needed to thrive, especially back in 2017 when its price shot up.

Right now, Bitcoin is sitting at $108,528, with the market cap at $3.77 trillion. But with the whole ‘Trump is dead’ buzz going around, it raises a big question: Would Bitcoin and the rest of the crypto market be where they are today if Trump weren’t there to support it?

JD Vance’s Comments and Speculation

On August 27, 2025, US Vice President JD Vance sparked even more talk when he said he was “ready to step in” if something happened to Trump. However, Vance also reassured the public that Trump was “in incredibly good health,” adding, “I’ve gotten a lot of good on-the-job training over the last 200 days. And if, God forbid, there’s a terrible tragedy, I can’t think of better on-the-job training than what I’ve gotten.”

While Vance’s words were meant to calm things down, they’ve done the opposite, only increasing the speculation that Trump’s health may be an issue. This raises another question: What happens to the crypto market if Trump isn’t around to help keep it afloat?

What Happens to Bitcoin if Trump Is Dead?

It’s tough to say for sure, but if Trump’s not around, things would definitely change. His policies helped crypto grow, so without him, the market could definitely take a hit. If the Trump is dead talk turns out to be true, Bitcoin might take a serious dive. Some people are even predicting it could drop below $80K, though that’s probably an over-the-top guess.

Bitcoin’s price is always volatile, but with Trump out of the picture, we could see investors panic and sell off their positions. In the short term, that could trigger a pretty significant crash.

Trump and the WLFI Token

On top of his political support, Trump’s family has financial skin in the game through World Liberty Financial (WLF) and the $WLFI token. The Trump organization owns 60% of WLF and gets 75% of the revenue from the coin sales.

Donald Trump’s sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. are directly involved in running the company, which means they have a big stake in how the crypto side of things plays out.

With the $WLFI token set to launch on September 1, 2025, there’s real concern that if Trump is dead, the token could lose value or momentum. Investors who were comfortable with Trump’s involvement might rethink their positions if his influence is gone.

What’s the Future of Crypto Without Trump?

If Trump were no longer around, the entire landscape for crypto might change. Trump’s support for crypto was unusual, and there’s no way of knowing if the next president will feel the same way. The next administration might bring in tougher rules or undo some of Trump’s crypto-friendly policies, which could definitely slow down the market.

Without Trump’s backing of digital currencies, Bitcoin and other cryptos might have a harder time. The government might start putting more pressure on crypto, which could cause things to get rocky and maybe even lead to prices dropping.

Conclusion

All this Trump is dead talk is really stirring things up in crypto. There’s still no confirmation, but you can’t ignore how these rumors are making the market jittery. If these speculations end up being true, Bitcoin and the whole crypto market could face some serious ups and downs in the short term, and it could even lead to a crash.

Also Read: China is ‘a Hell of a Power’ in Digital Assets: Eric Trump

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August 31, 2025 0 comments

NFT Gaming

Why Eric Trump Thinks Bitcoin Will Hit $1 Million

by admin August 30, 2025

In brief

Eric Trump said this week that he expects Bitcoin to reach a price of $1 million in the future.
President Trump’s son highlighted the major demand and limited supply for the top crypto asset.
He told listeners that buying now will age terrifically in the next five years.

Eric Trump thinks Bitcoin reaching a price of $1 million is inevitable.

The crypto entrepreneur and son of U.S. President Donald Trump spoke highly of the top crypto asset, making bold price claims and encouraging listeners to “buy now,” during a fireside chat at the Bitcoin Asia conference in Hong Kong.

“There’s no question in my mind that Bitcoin hits a million dollars,” Trump said in conversation with Nakamoto Holdings CEO, David Bailey. “And by the way, I don’t think it has to stop there. I think it could go a lot higher.”

To Trump, the thesis for $1 million Bitcoin seems simpler than predictions based on money printing or technical analysis.

“You have every person who wants an asset class, and you have a very limited supply,” he said. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out where that goes.”

Trump added that the growing utility of the asset will also play a role in its appreciation. In recent months, there’s been a surge of companies buying Bitcoin to hold in digital asset treasuries, and spot Bitcoin ETFs have seen unprecedented demand since launching in the U.S. in early 2024. And the ecosystem of Bitcoin financial services continues to grow.

“It was digital gold. It was a store of value,” he said. “Every single day they’re figuring out new ways to kind of stake it, to get yield on it, to use it for everyday purchases. You’re taking this digital gold, that was really just a store of value before, and you’re putting massive utility behind Bitcoin.”

Trump has a strong incentive to be bullish on BTC given his enmeshment with the crypto industry, where he said he spends “90% of his time” now.

Not only does he maintain connections to Trump Media, which operates Truth Social and has raised $2.5 billion to buy Bitcoin and applied for its own spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs, but he also serves as the co-founder of Bitcoin miner, American Bitcoin, which is expected to go public in September. Eric Trump is also a key figure behind the DeFi platform, World Liberty Financial, which has been promoted by President Trump.

The President’s eldest son hasn’t been shy about telling people to invest in crypto assets, including those he’s connected to. In February the first son told his X followers “it would be a great time to add ETH”—before it dropped 18% in the following days.

Ethereum has since rebounded significantly, making any buyers at the time of his post profitable as it recently stormed to a new all-time high. That said, ETH is has been on the way down since setting a new peak on Sunday.

He’s sharing a similar buy signal for Bitcoin now.

“I hear from people all the time: ‘Should I get into cryptocurrency? Did I miss it? Am I too late?’ And I literally start laughing at them,” Trump remarked. “We haven’t even scratched the surface of what Bitcoin is going to be. This is the time to buy. Volatility is your friend—buy right now, shut your eyes, hold it for the next five years, and you’re going to do terrifically well.”

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August 30, 2025 0 comments

GameFi Guides

PetroChina Eyes Stablecoins As Eric Trump Lauds China Power

by admin August 30, 2025

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

Following the recent regulatory developments in Hong Kong, Asia’s largest oil and gas producer, PetroChina, is reportedly evaluating the adoption of stablecoins for cross-border payments.

PetroChina Considers Stablecoin Adoption

On Friday, local news media outlets reported that PetroChina, the listed arm of state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), will explore cross-border settlement and payments using stablecoins.

According to the reports, Wang Hua, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Board Secretary of PetroChina, disclosed during the half-year meeting that the company is closely monitoring the latest developments regarding the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s (HKMA) Stablecoin Ordinance.

In May, Hong Kong’s Legislative Council officially passed the new Stablecoins Ordinance, directing any individual or entity seeking to issue a fiat-referenced stablecoin (FRS) in the jurisdiction, or any Hong Kong Dollar (HKD)-pegged token, to obtain a license from the HKMA.

The ordinance, enacted on August 1, aims to reinforce regulatory oversight on the digital assets industry, while fostering innovation and “responsible, sustainable” development. Under the new framework, licensed entities are allowed to offer FRS in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, retail investors can access the tokens issued only by these qualified institutions.

Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary, Paul Chan Mo-po, previously noted that stablecoins, “particularly when it is referenced to fiat currencies, (have) many use case scenarios,” including cross-border payments to enhance efficiency and reduce costs.

PetroChina will reportedly initiate a viability study on the use of stablecoins for cross-border settlement and payments, marking the Chinese energy giant’s entry into the digital assets landscape under Hong Kong’s new regulatory framework.

HK, China Crypto Landscape

As the report noted, Wang Hua didn’t disclose a specific timeline, only stating that the company would “closely monitor policy developments and build technical capabilities.” This could suggest that PetroChina’s stablecoin exploration remains in the research phase.

It’s worth noting that the HKMA established a six-month transition period and encouraged interested institutions to submit applications before September 30. Hong Kong’s Financial Secretary has stated that regulators received several applications from entities seeking to become qualified issuers.

Previous reports revealed that multiple companies have applied for the HKMA license ahead of the ordinance enactment, including logistics technology firm Reitar Logtech and the overseas arm of Chinese mainland financial technology giant Ant Group.

Meanwhile, e-commerce giant JD.com, through its fintech arm JD Coinlink, was testing HKD-pegged tokens under the regulator’s sandbox program earlier this year. Despite Hong Kong’s crypto push, authorities have warned about the excessive hype in the market and public opinion, raising concerns over a developing trend toward speculation as the market has become “overly enthusiastic.”

Similarly, Chinese regulators have allegedly instructed firms to halt promotions and research publications related to stablecoins amid concerns that the growing interest in the sector could enable the digital asset to be exploited as a new tool for fraudulent activities.

Nonetheless, Eric Trump, son of US President Donald Trump, recently highlighted China’s role in the crypto industry. At Bitcoin Asia 2025, the American businessman affirmed that the country is a “hell of a power” in the sector, adding that the US and China likely understood digital assets “better than anyone else in the world.”

“There’s no question that China is a hell of a power when it comes to this world,” Trump said, stating that he would love for President Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to talk about Bitcoin.

Bitcoin’s performance in the one-week chart. Source: BTCUSDT on TradingView

Featured Image from Unsplash.com, Chart from TradingView.com

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August 30, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

Bitcoin To Hit $1 Million? Eric Trump Shares Optimistic Outlook On Cryptocurrency

by admin August 30, 2025

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure

At the Bitcoin Asia conference in Hong Kong, Eric Trump, the son of President Donald Trump, predicted that the market’s leading cryptocurrency, Bitcoin (BTC) could soar to $1 million within the next few years, which could represent a major 825% increase from current levels.

Eric Trump Bullish On Bitcoin

As reported by Reuters earlier on Friday, during a panel discussion, Eric Trump emphasized China’s significant influence in the cryptocurrency sector, referring to the country as “a hell of a power” in driving crypto innovation.

Nevertheless, China still seems far from the US’s role in adopting cryptocurrencies, as the Asian country continues to face significant restrictions on operating digital assets.

Despite these restrictions by regulators since 2021, Mainland China is reportedly exploring yuan-backed stablecoins to enhance its global usage. Meanwhile, Hong Kong has taken steps to establish itself as a digital asset hub, passing a stablecoin bill in May.

On the other hand, under President Trump’s leadership, the United States has proposed establishing a Bitcoin reserve and passing three key crypto bills, including the GENIUS Act, which could accelerate the use of dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies in everyday transactions.

This has significantly contributed to the broader market’s price surge with Bitcoin reaching a new record of $124,000 on August 14, and Ethereum (ETH) also reaching an all-time high (ATH) just below the $5,000 mark last weekend.

Despite the cryptocurrency’s recent dip toward $108,000, Eric Trump confidently stated, “There’s no question Bitcoin hits $1 million,” citing strong institutional demand and the cryptocurrency’s limited supply as key factors supporting his optimism.

Crypto Talks Between Trump And Xi Jinping?

When asked if President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping might soon discuss cryptocurrencies, Eric Trump suggested that both nations likely possess a deeper understanding of digital currencies than most other countries.

He highlighted the support the Bitcoin community has shown for his father, expressing hope that such backing would yield significant returns for both the community and the Trump family.

In recent months, the Trump family has ventured into various cryptocurrency initiatives, including the launch of a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform, a stablecoin, a Bitcoin mining operation, and the applications of crypto-focused exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

Notably, American Bitcoin, a new crypto miner founded in collaboration with Hut 8 and backed by Eric Trump and his brother, Donald Trump Jr., is preparing for a Nasdaq listing next month.

Reuters also reported that during the same conference, crypto exchange Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) remarked that the US is setting a precedent for progressive regulations that could prompt other governments to take similar actions.

The 1D chart shows BTC’s price correction. Source: BTCUSDT on TradingView.com

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com

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August 30, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Lego Will No Longer Ship Individual Pieces Thanks to Trump Tariffs

by admin August 29, 2025

The aftershocks of President Trump’s tariffs are hitting major retailers around the world. As global shipping is set to get more expensive, most industries, including the toy industry, are already feeling the financial impact.

Unfortunately for the toy consumer, particularly the Lego fanatic, things are about to get more complicated. According to 404 Media, Lego will now stop shipping individual pieces. What used to be an easy way to replace random lost or missing bricks is now going to be a worse headache, as its Pick a Brick program will make “more than 2,500 pieces” unavailable for shipment to the United States and Canada.

The change took effect on August 25, four days before the August 29 elimination of the de minimis trade exemption, which removed fees on goods valued less than $800. The tariffs in effect would make the Pick a Brick program unfeasible for the Danish collectible toy company. Many pieces go for less than a dollar within the “standard” collection, which is shipped from Denmark. Pieces in the bestseller collections are still available, but it makes it trickier for those seeking specific pieces for more complex builds that aren’t in the bestseller catalog.

It’s a really unfortunate result of the new shipping laws that makes a vast selection of the service inaccessible to shoppers in the United States and Canada. Lego’s Pick a Brick page noted the change as a pause. “In the US & Canada, standard pieces are temporarily unavailable. You can still shop our Bestseller range, which includes thousands of the most popular bricks and pieces ready to order,” it reads on the page when you go to see what’s available and what’s not.

Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.

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August 29, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

Eric Trump: Bitcoin Enables Finance With ‘No Disparity’ Between Classes

by admin August 29, 2025

In brief

Eric Trump told the Bitcoin Asia conference that Bitcoin marks the first time finance has “no disparity” between socioeconomic classes.
Trump also spoke of sovereign wealth funds, Fortune 500 companies, and nation states driving adoption.
His remarks highlight a tension between Bitcoin’s populist narrative and elite accumulation, observers told Decrypt.

Speaking at the Bitcoin Asia conference in Hong Kong on Friday, Eric Trump, son of U.S. President Donald Trump, argued that Bitcoin marks the first time in the history of finance where “there is no disparity between socioeconomic classes.”

In a fireside chat, Trump shared remarks on how his father has championed the crypto industry, recounted how he entered the space, and highlighted his family’s deepening ventures into crypto and digital assets.

“The traditional financial system in the world has benefited guys like me, and it hasn’t benefited the vast majority of people,” Trump said onstage, adding that it “benefits the people that were fortunate enough to have some zeros behind their name.”

Those people, he said, were the ones who can “call the heads of the bank and negotiate off a full point on a loan, or get all the fees knocked out.”

Trump went on to argue that Bitcoin operates without those advantages.

“For the first time, you have a community that is agnostic to true wealth,” he said, arguing that it “gives the person in sub-Saharan Africa the same opportunity as the executive on Wall Street in New York City.”

Aspiration and privilege

Eric Trump’s portrayal of Bitcoin as “the greatest asset that’s arguably ever been created” as a level playing field that’s continuously being made “more accessible to the masses” stood in contrast to other parts of his talk.

Earlier, he had discussed how sovereign wealth funds, Fortune 500 companies, and nation states are buying Bitcoin heavily, sharing anecdotes on having breakfast with “a couple of the most powerful people in the region.”

Decrypt has reached out to Eric Trump and the Trump Organization for comment, and will update this article should they respond.

The tension between Bitcoin’s image as an egalitarian ideal and its current reality as an asset concentrated among elites remains central to the debate over how far the technology has lived up to its promise.

“Eric Trump’s words speak to the original aspiration of crypto. To be the great leveller, a financial system run by no one, open to everyone,” Conrad Young, co-founder of digital asset strategy firm Paragon, told Decrypt. “In practice, that vision remains only partly fulfilled.”

Trump is right that “some of the decentralised elements of crypto leave fewer levers for wealthy individuals to pull compared to traditional finance,” Young said. “But it’s also true that the industry today is dominated by institutions and large holders.”

“The gains retail investors have seen in this cycle were driven less by people-power and more by institutional recognition of Bitcoin and Ethereum,” he added.

Exposing socioeconomic divides

Nevertheless, crypto “opens doors in ways traditional markets do not,” Young said.

For people in developing economies, crypto “provides access to an asset class being shaped by Western institutions but available globally,” he noted. “The real levelling force for these communities comes through blockchain’s ability to move capital across borders.”

The crypto industry, through blockchain technology and digital assets such as Bitcoin, has “cast a harsh light on the deep socioeconomic divides of our world,” Ali Sammour, founder of decentralized commerce platform Droplinked, told Decrypt.

“We’re currently at a crossroads in society where the technology and asset could provide better financial liberty and freedom, but access is primarily still limited to the privileged,” Sammour said. “For billions, especially in emerging markets, even basic internet access is a luxury. The path to true financial inclusion is long, and we have a lot of work to do.”

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August 29, 2025 0 comments