Trump's Son Full Dialogue at ETH Denver 2025: Advises Beginners to Start Small and Continuously Learn DeFi
TechFlow Selected TechFlow Selected
Trump's Son Full Dialogue at ETH Denver 2025: Advises Beginners to Start Small and Continuously Learn DeFi
Those who make decisions often know nothing about the subjects they legislate on; they've just been in their positions for a long time.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsOriginal compilation: jk, Odaily Planet Daily
Editor's note: On February 26 in Denver, USA, Donald Trump Jr., co-founder of World Liberty Finance (WLFI), attended the "DeFi World 2025" event during ETH Denver and joined prominent guests from the crypto industry to discuss cryptocurrency regulation, the future of DeFi, and America's role in it. His key points are as follows:
Necessity of a regulatory framework: The cryptocurrency and DeFi sectors need a clear regulatory framework to define what is permissible and what is not. He believes that lack of clarity forces companies offshore, causing missed opportunities, and calls for the U.S. to establish reasonable regulations to ensure investor safety and industry growth.
America should lead the financial future: The United States should take a leadership role in shaping the future of finance rather than pushing businesses overseas through overregulation. He advocates that the U.S. should lead global development in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology by enacting smart regulations.
Financial democratization: Projects like World Liberty Finance aim to combine traditional finance with decentralized finance to provide greater liquidity, stability, and transparency for more people, thereby democratizing finance. He criticizes the opacity and exclusivity of the current financial system, believing that cryptocurrency and blockchain can offer equal financial opportunities to more individuals.
Technology and innovation: He expresses strong confidence in the transformative potential of cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies. He emphasizes the importance of transparency and on-chain operations, which he believes can eliminate opacity and corruption in traditional finance.
Advice for newcomers: He recommends beginners start with small investments to gradually understand the crypto space and avoid excessive leverage. He stresses the importance of education and participation—only by actively engaging can one truly grasp this rapidly evolving field.
Expectations for the future: He is highly optimistic about the future of World Liberty Finance and its partners, believing that integrating various technologies and projects can bring revolutionary changes to the global financial system and expand financial freedom and opportunity for more people.
Q: The U.S. is an important leader in the cryptocurrency space. What kind of policies do you think are needed?
Trump Jr.:
I think what’s most important right now is that everyone needs a regulatory framework to clearly define what can and cannot be done. As we enter this space, our family is participating through projects like WLFI. It's astonishing that even with access to the world’s top lawyers and experts, no one really knows what you can or cannot do. Very few are willing to confront the excessive overreach by agencies like the Department of Justice (DOJ), Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), or Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in the crypto space. I believe this is the future of finance. We want to democratize it, but people genuinely need this regulatory framework to move forward and understand what is allowed. Without it, companies are forced offshore, resulting in massive opportunity costs. I find that utterly absurd. We need to create a regulatory environment where people feel safe investing. I officially stepped down from my position after noon on January 20, but during the transition period, we spent significant time bringing in people who not only understand traditional finance (TradFi) but also truly grasp cryptocurrency and decentralized finance (DeFi), so we can build sensible regulations and laws.
I think the problem we’ve seen in Washington, D.C. over the past few decades is that decision-makers often have zero understanding of the subjects they legislate. They’re just there longer, so they gain seniority and sit on certain committees. I entered real estate after graduating from Wharton in 2000 and witnessed the 2007–2008 financial crisis firsthand. I saw members of financial committees asking seemingly tough questions, yet they had no actual understanding of what was being discussed. If you really know these topics, you realize, wow, these people are making trillion-dollar decisions without any foundational knowledge. So we need a regulatory framework guided by people who actually understand the space—whether it’s the new SEC chair or someone like Scott at the Treasury.
I helped bring in thinkers for the crypto space, like David SAS, someone who truly understands this world. We initially talked about AI, but during dinner I realized he’s one of the greatest minds in tech—why not involve him in crypto too? That way, we built a team that genuinely understands what we're doing, so you don’t end up with just a pile of regulations and roadblocks. This is a critical opportunity to build exactly what the industry needs. I believe we have enough industry-knowledgeable people to achieve this, rather than letting decisions made without real expertise result in solutions worse than the problems themselves.
To be honest, I think under the Biden administration over the past few years, the SEC and DOJ have created far too many obstacles—almost destructive, even predatory—trying to stifle incredible innovation in crypto. The same goes for DeFi and related technologies. Now, however, I believe we have people in place who understand the space and can set up frameworks that open the floodgates for those who genuinely want to build in the U.S. They simply want a reasonable environment here, not fear being imprisoned for 25 years over some baseless accusation. So I’m extremely excited about what the new administration will do. I'm proud to be part of a team helping drive this process forward.
My father will ultimately make his own decisions, but he understands how pivotal this is for the future of finance. I believe this *is* the future of finance. The U.S. should be at the forefront, not erecting barriers that push companies overseas. I’m very excited about the people in government—we can get this right, make it meaningful, and dominate this industry for the foreseeable future, perhaps forever.
You’ve launched your own crypto platform, WLFI. Can you tell us about its vision and mission? How will it revolutionize DeFi and TradFi?
Trump Jr.:
The real vision is to merge DeFi and traditional finance—to blend them together. Everyone wants liquidity, but not everyone has access to it. I learned this through my political experiences over recent years. A few months ago, I said online that the current financial system feels like a massive Ponzi scheme. I said that because when I graduated from Wharton and entered finance, working in real estate and finance in New York, as a member of the Trump family, I may not have realized it, but I was at the very top of the financial pyramid. It’s essentially a Ponzi scheme, but back then I didn’t know—it was easy because I could call anyone and get what I wanted. Because of who we were, because of our balance sheet, everything was accessible. But when we entered politics, all that access suddenly vanished.
I realized how undemocratic the financial system is. As long as you play by their rules, everything’s fine. But if you don’t, many Americans—and people worldwide—are discriminated against. So our idea is to bridge that gap and provide liquidity to those who’ve never had the chance. I think we can do amazing things. Right now, there are no bond products or treasury assets in crypto. Combining these two worlds—as I mentioned earlier—requires the right team, and doing so will bring liquidity and, more importantly, stability.
The true goal is financial democratization. I think crypto does well in this regard, but there are still many pitfalls. The space is still new. I know some in this room have been here for 15 years, so it’s not new to them. But I truly feel we’re on the edge of a major breakthrough. Merging these two worlds is what we’re striving for, delivering great products people can actually use. I feel many are artificially excluded from traditional finance—they can’t access resources because they don’t meet certain criteria or aren’t deemed “sexy” or “cool” enough. So I’m very excited to help truly democratize finance. As someone who was once at the top of this artificial Ponzi scheme, I quickly realized what it feels like at the bottom. I realized that’s not what America is about, nor what financial freedom should be. So we’re thrilled to enter this space, grow with it, and help unite all these great products.
Regarding "World Liberty Finance," it recently partnered with many collaborators—from Chile to Tron to Ondo Finance. What kind of partnerships is "World Liberty Finance" seeking?
Trump Jr.:
Similar to the first point, we want to combine traditional finance and the crypto world. We aim to be integrators—bringing together all the great elements—and we don’t intend to do this alone. We’re looking for partnerships with a wide range of outstanding projects. You mentioned a few, but there are many more. We need these projects and their expertise. We must bring together all these great technologies, brilliant minds, and innovative ideas to once again bridge this gap. I believe that if we succeed—if we integrate—we can create the stability this sector needs to take off. We can simplify some complexities, making it more accessible to average Americans and people around the world. So we’re pursuing collaborations with top-tier projects, aligning everyone toward the same goal to truly transform the entire industry.
I think in the coming days, weeks, and months, you’ll see more impressive announcements. As I said, it’s fantastic seeing so many people who understand this reach out to us, recognizing that we can serve as the catalyst bringing these great ideas together. I believe this is fundamental—it’s the most crucial part.
Blockchain and decentralized finance offer many solutions to traditional financial markets. Which problems and challenges in traditional finance do you think they solve?
Trump Jr.:
I think we need to create utility. Many ideas are great, and if you’ve been in this space long enough, you have access to top talent. But for ordinary people, we must work to create real utility. There are many solutions, and everyone wants that liquidity. People need to be able to enter and exit these spaces easily. So the biggest solution we can strive to create is utility—by uniting all these great partners, I believe we can achieve that. But it takes time.
Right now, it feels like an “insider game,” but ultimately, it’s about creating utility. You can democratize finance and bring others into the space. As I mentioned earlier, this domain used to belong exclusively to the wealthy and powerful. If we can create real utility—something everyone can actually use—and simplify basic transactions while bringing liquidity to markets, that would be truly game-changing. You see others competing for this too.
Earlier, I interviewed the opposition leader from Venezuela who won over 90% of the vote. She’s a strong crypto supporter because even after winning 90%, they silenced her, shut down her business, and cut off her communications. I believe once you create utility—establish electronic signatures and put them on-chain—you gain transparency. We can do a lot to level the playing field for those who’ve never had a chance. I find that incredibly exciting. I think this isn’t just a game-changer for the industry, but for the world and freedom itself.
Some might not like this answer, but look: we’ve already seen in the U.S. what they’re capable of. If you don’t go along with them, they come after you. They did it when my father was president—even though he was arguably the most powerful person in the world on paper, they still cut him off. They only allow one narrative, using bias to control the story. Even in the U.S., where you’d think this couldn’t happen, you’ve seen their actions, attacks on many people, and the imprisonment of early crypto pioneers like Ross Ulbricht, who paved the way for Bitcoin and crypto. They dislike this, regardless of merit.
We’re moving toward a world independent of power, which is terrifying for many authoritarian regimes. I think some of these regimes may be closer to us than we imagine.
The DeFi revolution began in 2020. Since then, it has evolved from staking and restaking to innovative DEXs and modular DEXs. Yet the field remains very new, with huge growth potential. Many are still trying to grasp the basics. So drawing from your personal experience, what advice would you give to newcomers? How should they start and gather insights?
Trump Jr.:
Yes, new things emerge every day. I think you just need to start reading the news—but not fake news. You need diverse perspectives on this space. You can’t just read one account on X that might be shilling something. I think you should read everything about DeFi, begin self-educating—that makes it less intimidating.
Start small. Don’t invest too much. Don’t overexpose yourself. For beginners, putting $100 into Bitcoin or $1,000 is fine. Once you actually participate—not just watch—even with a tiny amount, you start paying attention. Suddenly, it doesn’t seem so mysterious. If you explain this to a baby boomer, they might become deeply interested. There’s a lot of mystique, but once you try and engage, even with a small sum, you begin to understand. I know when I started putting real money in, suddenly I paid attention to everything. Once you pay attention and read up, you start distinguishing truth from nonsense. You realize some people are shilling things purely for their own gain. This way, you become more alert.
I saw my 16-year-old son start playing with some memes. It was amazing. You see a kid suddenly interested in finance, putting in money, talking about liquidity. Suddenly, he sounds like a banker who’s worked at Goldman Sachs for 20 years. Because he invested, he started paying attention and engaging. It was incredible. I think for people, this *is* the future of finance. So even if you’ve been in the space a while, you’re still in the early stages.
As this space grows, for a young entrepreneur, investing a bit and getting involved lets you learn so much. It’s the best way to understand the fundamentals of business and entrepreneurship. I come from a real estate family—we did real estate for a long time. You can’t let a 15-year-old play with real estate because everything moves too slowly. We live in a world of instant gratification. With meme coins, it’s not always instant—sometimes the opposite. But when he starts watching and investing, it’s no longer theoretical; he begins to truly understand. For everyone, young or old, entering this space, investing a bit—don’t over-leverage, don’t bet the house—but start participating. When you do, I think your learning curve shoots up like a rocket. It did for him, and it did for me. Just shifting from observer to participant is critical. We’re in such an early stage—it’s fantastic.
For him, I started encouraging this because I was so excited—stocks are fine, but you buy some shares and sit on them for 15 years, maybe they go up, but it’s not fast or intense. I think in 18 months, he’s learned more this way than he would at Wharton. It’s incredible. So I say, get into the space, don’t do anything crazy, but play with things you’re willing to lose—because that might happen. But just being a participant instead of a spectator sharpens your senses. That’s critical.
Last question. What motivates you? What excites you most about what’s coming this year?
Trump Jr.:
To be honest, for me, the most exciting thing is WLFI. Watching it evolve is fascinating. All my life I’ve been a “hard asset real estate guy,” and in recent years I got into politics because I truly believe in freedom—I felt freedom was genuinely at risk. Being able to do things differently, trying to put everything on-chain, is incredibly exciting.
I think people should know: “Hey, the CEO of the company whose stock you hold says it’s great, but the CEO is quietly selling.” I think that’s a problem. So I believe it’s vital to create a product as transparent and clear as possible. Put it on-chain, make it understandable. If we’re buying or selling, we talk about it. We show you what we’re doing, so it’s no longer a game between insiders and outsiders. We’re moving beyond the traditional finance model where I know bankers earning seven figures annually with great jobs, yet I have no idea what they actually do. We keep talking about what we’re doing with the WLFI Strategic Reserve, and we’ll launch many other great products. To step from a hard-asset, real estate world—where we buy and hold long-term—into this space, shows how much potential we believe exists here.
I’ve spent a lot of time ensuring my father’s government has nothing to do with what we’re doing. They’re separate, distinct from family business, but we can create this clarity so others understand. Hopefully, we can run it in a way that showcases transparency—so others see this clarity. They see what we’re doing on-chain, which demystifies these things. We can truly build a democratized financial platform where everyone has a chance to win, to thrive, and to know what others are doing.
Eliminating some of the opacity that exists in the world. So I’m very excited about this. For those not paying attention, check WLFI’s X account. Everyone’s trying to do something, claiming they’re doing something else. Unless you hear it directly from me, my brother, or other great team members, get your information from there. I’m extremely excited about this project and the exceptional talent we’ve gathered—not just within the team, but also our partners and outstanding entrepreneurs. As you mentioned earlier, and others joining daily, they keep reaching out to us.
I believe we truly have the ability to unite all the great minds, ideas, and technologies to fight for what we believe in. If we want the world to see this, I think once we achieve it, these things will take off. More people will join in, no longer just watching, because they’ll finally see what’s really happening.
I’m very excited. Every day we talk about this project. Some will make mistakes, but there’s so much more ahead. So I’m thrilled to be part of this industry and to truly take on the responsibility of helping reshape the future of finance. It will be extraordinary.
(Question from Rock) Any inside scoop on the cryptocurrency sovereign fund? Does WLFI have a fund?
Trump Jr.:
About the fund—I know this is a transitional period. I must be clear: I am not in government.
David S, the person leading crypto initiatives, understands this space. He understands that in the world we live in, you can see these billion- or even hundred-billion-dollar potential ideas unfold from day one. So you can see the space—oh my God, it didn’t magically happen at 12 p.m. on January 20. But these things take time; they don’t appear by magic. You have to do them correctly. So I know people are looking at all of this.
I know there are people in government who absolutely believe in this. But you have to understand—even if you want to act immediately, you must work within real-world constraints. So I believe this is absolutely something you might see in the near future. I’m not in government now, but I know discussions are happening about making it happen. This isn’t something you snap your fingers and magically appear. You’re dealing with massive amounts of money that must go through proper channels. Washington, D.C. doesn’t operate rationally—it’s not transparent, you can’t see what’s really going on, or who’s secretly working against you.
If you’ve been paying attention over the past nine years, you may have noticed this. So all these ideas have already been discussed. I have to restrain myself. You know, I won’t get the Hunter Biden treatment. These are the people who believe in this. They understand its value. They understand that the U.S. must lead, not create environments that push people away. So I think you’ll see these things happen, but if you’re disappointed it didn’t occur instantly, I’m sorry—but that’s also unrealistic.
We’ve always followed the rules of the world we’re in. So I think you’ll see a lot. I believe you’ll see many exciting developments, not just in DeFi, but across cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. I think a lot of these tools will be utilized. They’ll create incredible things people can use and build upon, once again filling in the missing utility that’s truly needed.
As you know, these things can’t happen overnight. You need to give it time. But I think you’ll see incredible things. And in the end, those who’ve believed in what we’re talking about will be very satisfied. You just need to wait a little longer.
This is amazing, I have to say. I’m really glad you didn’t get the Hunter Biden treatment
Trump Jr.:
My father raised me a bit differently. I was already doing these things at Hunter’s age. The Democrats will try again.
Join TechFlow official community to stay tuned
Telegram:https://t.me/TechFlowDaily
X (Twitter):https://x.com/TechFlowPost
X (Twitter) EN:https://x.com/BlockFlow_News
Odaily
