The memecoin MELANIA has landed in the middle of a major controversy after a Financial Times investigation revealed that insiders made nearly $100 million just minutes before Melania Trump publicly mentioned the token. While regular investors rushed in after the announcement, a select few had already sold with massive profits.
🔹 Lightning-fast buy, even faster cash-out
According to FT, 24 crypto wallets bought nearly 17 million MELANIA tokens for around $2.6 million just two and a half minutes before Melania Trump posted about the token on Truth Social on the evening of January 19. The announcement triggered a price spike, creating a frenzy in the crypto markets.
The outcome? Astounding. 81% of those tokens were sold within 12 hours of the announcement. One address, for example, spent $681,000 on MELANIA tokens just 64 seconds before the post and made $39 million within half a day — plus another $4.4 million over the next three days.
🔹 Illegal? Not necessarily…
Although it may seem like a textbook case of insider trading, current U.S. regulations don’t treat memecoins the same as stocks. The SEC has classified memecoins more like collectibles, not securities — meaning insider trading and disclosure rules may not apply.
🔹 The MELANIA team keeps selling — and stays silent
While the price has been sliding, the MELANIA team has continued selling aggressively. Since March 16, over 41 million MELANIA tokens have been transferred from community and liquidity wallets and sold on exchanges, generating over $23 million in SOL, most of which has been converted to USDC or withdrawn.
Despite community concerns, there has been no official statement from the project or its affiliates. MKT World LLC — listed as the project's marketing agency — has also remained silent. The token’s price has dropped 44% in the last 30 days and is now down 96% from its peak, yet the team has still pocketed more than $64 million through sales and fees.
🔹 Trump-themed tokens: big profits, bigger questions
Unlike MELANIA, the TRUMP token does not appear to have had similar insider activity. The first wallet reportedly bought the token 42 seconds after it was mentioned on Truth Social — not before.
Still, the ethical debate rages on: Should a U.S. president’s family be profiting from memecoins at the expense of retail investors? According to FT, entities behind the TRUMP token made at least $350 million from fees and primary sales since its launch.
One recent incident stirred attention — an announcement about an exclusive dinner with President Trump for the top 220 TRUMP token holders briefly drove the price up. However, gains quickly evaporated. One whale who sold before the announcement lost out on $3.8 million in potential profit. He bought back in — only to lose $900,000 when he sold again.
📌 Summary:
The MELANIA token saga exposes the shadowy side of memecoins — fast profits, unclear accountability, and regulatory loopholes. And while laws remain vague, the crypto community remembers. The ethical questions around politically-linked tokens are far from over.
#Melania , #memecoin , #trumpcoin , #CryptoNewss , #crypto
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