Trump & Melania Tokens Wipe Out $4.3B in Retail Wealth

[etfs]

More than a year after Donald Trump and Melania Trump launched their official cryptocurrency tokens, the fallout has been severe for retail investors.

According to CryptoRank data, roughly 2 million everyday holders are currently sitting on losses — with an estimated $4.3 billion in retail wealth wiped out. Meanwhile, just 45 early-deployment wallets reportedly captured a combined $1.2 billion in gains.

For every $1 insiders earned, retail investors lost $20.

The TRUMP token has plunged 92% to $3.55 from its $75 all-time high, while the MELANIA token has collapsed 99% to $0.11 from $13.05.

Although the broader crypto market shed more than $1 trillion in value over the same period, analysts argue these presidential tokens declined far more sharply due to structural token design — not just macro conditions.

On-chain forensics indicate that anonymous accounts tied to the initial deployment systematically drained liquidity from decentralized pools, accelerating the collapse.

[cryptohog]

this wasn’t a rug it was a carefully engineered carpet removal event