The Trump family’s latest foray into crypto and mining stocks produced a brief $1.3 billion windfall this week, though much of the paper gains evaporated almost as quickly as they appeared.
Eric Trump’s American Bitcoin (ABTC) made its trading debut Wednesday following its merger with Gryphon Digital Mining, and shares spiked as high as $14 before collapsing by more than 50% to a low of $6.24. The surge briefly valued Eric Trump’s stake at over $500 million, according to Bloomberg, though the retracement quickly shaved down those gains. Trading in ABTC was halted five separate times during the session due to extreme volatility, underscoring how speculative the newly relisted miner remains.
Meanwhile, World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the DeFi project tied to the Trump family and backed by President Donald Trump’s sons, also delivered big numbers, at least on paper. The protocol added about $670 million to the family’s net worth as WLFI tokens were unlocked for exchange trading on Monday. WLFI’s debut saw an initial surge before prices collapsed by more than 40%, leaving the token trading deep below launch highs.
Altogether, the Trump family’s wealth jumped by $1.3 billion on Wednesday at peak prices, pushing their collective net worth above $7.7 billion, excluding the roughly $4 billion in WLFI tokens still subject to lock-up. But those figures are highly sensitive to market swings, and the double-digit retracements in both ABTC and WLFI illustrate how fragile the valuations are.
The crypto push has bolstered the Trump brand’s visibility in digital assets, bringing legitimacy to the sector after years of regulatory hostility under the previous administration. But it has also sharpened political scrutiny. Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns that the president’s direct financial ties to WLFI and ABTC pose conflicts of interest at a time when his agencies are shaping U.S. crypto policy.
For now, the family’s fortune remains closely tied to the fate of two highly volatile assets, one in mining, the other in DeFi, that could just as easily cut billions from their paper wealth in a matter of days.
