It wasn’t long ago that Justin Sun, the founder of Tron, was navigating U.S. regulatory minefields as Grenada’s ambassador to the WTO. But times have clearly changed. Fast forward to now, and Sun is back on American soil—this time as a high-profile guest at a dinner hosted by none other than President Donald Trump.
This exclusive event gathered the biggest holders of Trump’s own memecoin, TRUMP, and marked a surprising but bold moment in crypto’s evolving relationship with U.S. politics. Sun, ever the optimist for blockchain’s future, celebrated what he called a regulatory breakthrough. He even hinted that a Tron ETF might soon be on the horizon.
Speaking exclusively with CoinDesk after the event—despite protests outside the venue—Sun was quick to defend the memecoin movement and Trump’s involvement in it.
> “All the haters need to really pay attention,” Sun said. “Trump’s support for crypto is one of his best decisions. There are positive things happening in the industry.”
Sun also brushed aside allegations that the TRUMP token is some sort of political bribe, calling such claims “short-sighted.” Instead, he portrayed Trump’s newfound crypto friendliness as a game-changer for the U.S. digital asset landscape.
Sun’s alignment with Trump’s crypto ventures isn’t new. Shortly after the 2024 election, he reportedly purchased up to $75 million worth of World Liberty Financial tokens—clearly betting big on Trump’s pro-crypto agenda.
Interestingly, after Trump took office, the SEC paused a civil fraud case involving Sun and Binance. The SEC has since backed off from several cases—although just this week, they filed a new one against Unicoin. Meanwhile, the DOJ has reportedly been investigating Sun since 2021, as per The Wall Street Journal.
Yet, despite the legal cloud, Sun remains bullish.
> “At the dinner, some folks told me they were considering leaving the U.S. under Biden’s anti-crypto stance—thinking of moving to places like Hong Kong or Singapore,” Sun said. “But now? They’re staying. Trump brings the energy back.”
Of course, not everyone is cheering. Trump’s decision to launch a memecoin has been slammed in the mainstream press, with some even trying to tie the token to extremist groups—a narrative Sun swiftly dismissed.
> “Let critics speak their minds. That’s their First Amendment right,” he said, standing firm on crypto’s broader mission.
Why Memecoins Matter
Memecoins have long drawn mixed reactions. At Consensus 2025, even Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy called them “gambling” and likened them to Ponzi schemes—though he added, “I don’t mean that in a bad way.”
Sun sees it differently.
> “Memecoins aren’t just jokes. They’re entry points,” he argued, referencing DOGE and SHIB as successful examples. “Some projects will fail. Some will thrive. That’s just entrepreneurship.”
For Sun, memecoins are more than hype—they're essential to the ecosystem.
> “We support every piece of the crypto puzzle,” he said. “Whether it’s DeFi, NFTs, or yes, even memecoins—they all play a role in making crypto mainstream.”
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