What Is the Trump NFT? From Digital Trading Cards to Meme Coins
The name of U.S. President Donald Trump is not only a political symbol, but has also become Web3 The commercial assets of the world. Since 2022, he has launched a series of NFTs (non-fungible tokens) and encryption products through authorized collaborations, transforming personal images into digital collectibles and speculative tokens. These products include Polygon Digital trading cards on the chain, the Mugshot Edition inspired by arrest events, and based on Solana The meme coin $TRUMP has formed a complete encryption monetization system. Operated through partnered companies such as NFT INT LLC, Trump has earned tens of millions of dollars through a brand licensing model, pioneering a new paradigm for political figures entering the encryption economy.
Four Core NFT Series: Themes, Issuance, and Market Performance
Trump NFTs are issued in a series format, each set combining hot events and fan benefits:
- First Series (December 2022): 45,000 cards showcasing images like astronauts and cowboys, priced at $99 each, sold out in 18 hours, generating sales of $4.45 million. Buyers could win a Zoom video call or qualify for golf events;
- Second Series (April 2023): Continuing the tough guy theme, 47,000 cards issued, sold out in 5 hours but secondary market enthusiasm has waned, with the current floor price only $33;
- Mugshot Suspect Photo Version (December 2023): Marketing leveraging the Georgia arrest incident, issuing 100,000 cards. Purchasing 100 cards grants a Bitcoin ordinal NFT and physical suit fragments, with sales reaching $9.9 million;
- America First Edition (August 2024): Themed around campaign debates, issuing 31,000 cards, tied to VIP dinner benefits. Due to transfer restrictions until January 2025, secondary market liquidity is low.
All secondary markets of the series are highly volatile, for example, the floor price of the first series once reached 135 USD, but some have fallen by over 70%, highlighting the speculative nature of the NFT market.
$TRUMP Meme Coin: The Surge and Controversy of Political Tokens
In addition to NFTs, Trump launched the official meme coin $TRUMP on January 18, 2025, as an extension of his encryption landscape:
- Issuance Mechanism: 200 million coins initially issued based on Solana, with 80% (800 million coins) held by Trump family-affiliated companies, initial price of $0.18, market value soared to $24 billion on the first day, with a price peak reaching $75;
- Extreme Volatility: After the inauguration, due to a lack of policy details, the coin price plummeted 26% in a single day, dropping to $9.18 in April, an 88% reduction from its peak. Large holders selling off 86.9% of their holdings exacerbated the volatility;
- Conflicts of Interest Questions: Democratic lawmakers criticized him for “manipulating coin prices through policy,” and constitutional scholars warned that foreign governments could influence the president by purchasing coins, violating compensation clauses.
Policy and Market Outlook: The Prototype of Encryption in America
During Trump’s second term, a “pro-encryption” policy was implemented, aiming to establish the United States as the “global capital of encryption assets”:
- Regulatory Relaxation: The SEC rescinded the SAB 121 guidelines that hindered institutional custody, ended lawsuits against companies like Coinbase, and formed a working group on encryption assets to clarify the definition of securities;
- Strategic Reserve Plan: An executive order was signed in March 2025 to establish a national strategic Bitcoin reserve, primarily composed of confiscated Bitcoins, prohibiting government sales;
- Legalization of Meme Coins: The SEC clarified that the majority of meme coins do not fall under the category of securities, providing compliance space for $TRUMP-like projects.
Despite the favorable policies for the market, the Trump family simultaneously holds a massive amount of tokens and has the power to make regulations, which still poses ethical risks. If the stablecoin bill (GENIUS Act) is passed in the future, it may further consolidate the position of the dollar in encryption payments.
The digital survival of political narratives: The essence of Trump NFTs and meme coins is to encapsulate personal influence as tradable symbolic capital. When supporters purchase cards or tokens, they are not consuming functionality but rather participating in a crowdfunding of a certain ideology.
