USA · updated 2h ago · 2 min read
Donald Trump Schedules Nov. 22 Dinner for Top 185 $TRUMP Coin Holders in Washington, DC
Trump will host a November 22 dinner for the 185 top TRUMP memecoin holders. The event, at Trump's DC area club, will include three unidentified 'legends'.
Whether the event is pay-to-play access vs merely unethical profiteering.
6 of 8 outlets skipped it: event scoring window: Sept 30 to Nov 12.
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CNN
“‘the most exclusive dinner in the world’ — a sequel to the May 2025 gala that experts called a textbook pay-to-play scandal.”Read the original ↗
Both allege pay-to-play, but attribute style varies between direct worst-case framing and expert label.
Dinner for Top Holders
President Donald Trump is scheduled to appear at a Nov. 22 dinner for the top 185 holders of the $TRUMP coin at his private club in Washington, DC, according to the GetTrumpMemes.com website.
The website advertised “an evening with 3 Legends and President Donald J. Trump” for the top 185 holders, and it said the top 29 purchasers would be invited to a VIP reception “with YOUR FAVORITE PRESIDENT.”
The event page also stated that “no attendees will be granted a private meet & greet with the President,” and it said the contest began Wednesday and runs through November 12.
The promotion followed a May 2025 gala that invited the top 220 holders of the $TRUMP meme coin to a black-tie dinner at Trump’s golf club outside Washington, DC, with those in the room having contributed millions in investment in his crypto token.
Ethics Claims and Pushback
Public Citizen co-president Robert Weissman criticized the dinner as he told Cointelegraph, “In the best case, the dinner is unethical and unconscionable profiteering off the presidency.” Senator Chris Coons called the memecoin dinner “corruption,” after the GetTrumpMemes promotion announced another event for the top 185 holders.
The White House referred comment to the event organizers, and the Trump Organization did not immediately return a request for comment. The controversy builds on earlier Democratic backlash, with the first Trump memecoin event drawing criticism from Democratic lawmakers as “pay-to-play” schemes that grant political connection to those investing the most money.
Market, Law, and Fallout
The dinner announcement came weeks after US Senate lawmakers failed to advance the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act, a bill expected to establish clear guidelines for financial agencies on the oversight and enforcement of cryptocurrencies.
Senator Ellissa Slotkin said after her vote against CLARITY on Sept. 15, “I cannot in good conscience vote for any legislation that codifies that behavior from public officials.”
Public Citizen estimated that investors in the Trump family’s crypto ventures were “$4.7 billion underwater” since 2022, with $3.2 billion in losses attributed to the memecoin.
Market data showed TRUMP’s price surged about 9% to $2.23 from $2.05 immediately after the dinner announcement on Wednesday, while the token was trading at $2.06 at the time of publication.