What did everyone eat at Trump's crypto dinner?
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What did everyone eat at Trump's crypto dinner?
A dinner event where 220 crypto whales and the President of Traffic come together.
Navigating Web3 tides with focused insightsAuthors: Penny, Ashley, BlockBeats
On the evening of May 22, 2025, local time, 220 cryptocurrency investors gathered at a golf club along the Potomac River for a lavish dinner with Trump, enjoying the "majestic views of the Potomac River." Entry to the event was granted solely through holding Trump’s officially issued meme coin, $TRUMP.
The dinner was essentially a gilded game within the crypto industry, jointly announced on April 23 by CIC Digital LLC (a subsidiary of the Trump family's corporate group) and Fight Fight Fight LLC. They promoted the event as the "most exclusive invitation in the world," offering lucky attendees the chance to "hear directly from President Trump about the future of cryptocurrency."
Prior to the dinner, an official announcement prohibited live streaming or bringing recording devices. However, this rule appears not to have been strictly enforced—many attendees have already shared photos they took during the dinner on X and WeChat Moments. Based on currently available photos, BlockBeats has compiled and reviewed highlights and interesting details from the event.
Dining Inside, Protesting Outside
In addition to Justin Sun, notable crypto entrepreneurs such as Jihoz.ron, co-founder of Ronin Network, and Jack Lu, co-founder and CEO of Magic Eden, also attended and shared their participation on social media. Trump himself maintained his classic entrance, arriving via Marine One helicopter at Mar-a-Lago.
Scene from the TRUMP dinner, image source: X
After a brief introduction by the host, Trump stepped out from behind a curtain and delivered a short speech to the guests. Interestingly, when introducing Trump, the host paid tribute to the people using highly "anti-establishment" terms like "Crypto President" and "48th President of the United States."
Photo of Trump's arrival, image source: X
$50,000 'Trump White People Meal'
The dinner menu, valued at "$55,000," was leaked on social media. According to photos from the scene, the meal began with an heirloom tomato and burrata cheese salad, served with fresh basil pesto, balsamic glaze, and tender microgreens—a starter fit for top $TRUMP holders.
Main course options included three choices: filet mignon with rich red wine sauce, mashed potatoes, and asparagus; pan-seared salmon with lemon cream sauce, wild rice, and asparagus; or stuffed mushrooms filled with nutritious quinoa and spinach, topped with roasted red pepper sauce for vegetarian guests. The meal concluded with a smooth, rich chocolate mousse cake.
Dinner dish photos, image source: internet
These dishes resemble typical American "white people meals" commonly served at Trump Tower in New York and the Trump International Hotel in Chicago. The author roughly estimated the cost of tonight’s dinner based on menus from these two locations.
Menus from Trump Tower and hotel, image source: Trump Tower official website
Taking TRUMP GRILL in New York as an example: premium salad with added shrimp costs $32, upgraded New York prime ribeye steak with black truffle fries is $53, and the Brooklyn Black Forest cake with Lucado cherries, Tahitian vanilla, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce is $15—totaling $100. Add a 20% tip and approximately 9% sales tax, and the total comes to no more than $130.
Trump Tower restaurant and dishes, image source: Trump Tower official website
However, according to attendance requirements, the 220th and final guest held 4,196.117 TRUMP tokens. Based on the closing price of TRUMP on May 12 when the list was locked, that amounts to roughly $55,000. To enjoy one of Trump’s “white people meals,” crypto whales certainly went all in.
$100,000 'Trump Gold Watch'
Another highlight of the event was the "Trump gold watch" presented to Justin Sun. The top 25 investors enjoyed a private VIP reception with Trump, while the top four received limited-edition "Trump Tourbillon" watches. As the largest holder of TRUMP, Sun was among those who received the gift.
Justin Sun receiving the Trump Tourbillon watch at the dinner, image source: X
According to official statements, each watch is valued at $100,000. Each Trump Tourbillon is individually numbered, priced at $100,000, and limited to only 147 pieces worldwide. President Trump owns watch number one. Both the "scarcity marketing" strategy and the ostentatious "土豪 gold" color reflect Trump’s strong personal branding.
Three models of Trump Tourbillon watches, image source: Trump Tourbillon official website
Trump’s love for gold is iconic to his personal brand. He sees gold as a symbol of power—from the gilded interiors of Trump Tower in New York and Trump International Hotels, to Mar-a-Lago in Florida, golden decor is everywhere. Even the White House Oval Office was lavishly adorned by him, with golden emblems, statues, paperweights, and coasters reflecting his taste. In Trump’s eyes, white represents surrender and weakness, while gold signifies supreme authority—as he famously believes, "He who has the gold makes the rules."
White House interior; Trump's golden paperweight; Trump's account, image source: X
Public Protests and Democratic Outrage
Notably, this crypto dinner was not the only such event Trump hosted this month. On May 5, Trump held a dinner for cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence innovators at Trump National Golf Club in Virginia. Attendance required a $1.5 million donation per person, making it one of the most expensive political fundraising events in recent years, with special guest David Sacks in attendance.
According to The New York Times, Trump’s series of actions linking politics and crypto have drawn criticism from across society, including from Democrats. On May 23, protesters gathered outside Trump National Golf Club in Washington, opposing the exclusive crypto dinner for top $TRUMP holders. At the dinner entrance, dozens shouted "Shame! Shame! Shame!" while holding signs reading "Stop Crypto Corruption," "Release the Guest List," and "No Kings."
Protesters outside the dinner, image source: X
Perhaps to minimize attention, the planned itinerary for 25 VIPs to visit the White House was quietly removed from the $TRUMP website.
Among the protesters was Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley, who shouted at the entrance of Trump’s golf course: "This is the crypto corruption club!" calling the dinner "Mount Everest of corruption."
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren stated that Trump hosting a private dinner with his token holders could constitute corrupt "self-dealing" and called for an ethics investigation. Senator Jon Ossoff publicly called for Trump’s impeachment, saying, "When a sitting U.S. president sells access to people who are effectively paying him directly, that clearly rises to the level of an impeachable offense."
Additionally, the U.S. Constitution prohibits federal officials from accepting gifts from foreign governments. Since $TRUMP token holders remain anonymous, there is concern that foreign entities could gain political access by purchasing tokens. Senator Warren has joined nine other lawmakers in sending a letter to the Ethics Office demanding an investigation into whether Trump is indirectly accepting bribes through token sales.
$TRUMP launched on the Solana blockchain on January 17, 2025, with an initial supply of 1 billion tokens—200 million (20%) offered publicly via ICO, and the remaining 800 million (80%) held by the two aforementioned companies. In the days following launch, the value of the 20% publicly traded tokens surged to $14 billion. On paper, Trump’s net worth nearly instantly increased by tens of billions of dollars.
Since then, the token’s value has dropped over 80% from its peak. However, after Trump announced the dinner on April 23, another trading frenzy erupted, driving up the memecoin’s price. As market intermediaries, Fight Fight Fight and CIC Digital may have earned hundreds of thousands of dollars in transaction fees.
Crypto Whales vs. Democrats: A Tale of Two Worlds
Currently, the most viral video from the dinner features Justin Sun. As the top supporter, he took the stage to thank Trump for everything he has done for the crypto industry: "Just 100 days ago, they were chasing after crypto people everywhere. We couldn’t possibly hold such a grand event in Washington. All crypto people gathering in America, doing crypto things—that’s the best thing I can imagine in my life."
Justin Sun speaking at the dinner, image source: X
Sun, a major Trump supporter, previously invested $75 million in World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a project linked to the Trump family. Shortly after, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) suspended its pending civil fraud case against him, citing both parties’ interests and "public interest."
This move by the SEC came under scrutiny during a congressional hearing on May 21. Maryland Democratic Congressman Glenn Ivey questioned SEC Chairman Paul Atkins about President Trump’s ties to meme coins and his relationship with crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun, stating the situation "smells really bad" and urging the SEC to investigate.
As Trump’s personal interests become increasingly intertwined with the crypto industry, Democratic concerns about corruption and abuse of power continue to grow, impacting progress on crypto legislation.
On May 22, the stablecoin GENIUS Act passed the debate motion with 69 votes in favor and 31 opposed, moving into the amendment phase. The bill could become the first federal-level stablecoin regulatory framework in the U.S., widely seen as potentially reshaping the entire stablecoin market.
Yet the next day, Democrats signaled opposition. On May 23, Axios reported that Senate Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren, and Jeff Merkley plan to introduce an amendment to block the U.S. president from profiting off stablecoins.
Democrats had previously mounted fierce resistance. On May 9, the U.S. Senate rejected the bill, with Democrats demanding clauses explicitly prohibiting executive officials—including Trump and his family members—from holding or trading cryptocurrencies, along with stronger anti-corruption provisions.
Democratic skepticism over Trump’s financial interests originally stemmed from a Wall Street Journal report.
On March 13, 2025, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Trump family was negotiating to acquire a significant stake in Binance.US. Though strongly denied by CZ, the report was later corroborated by Bloomberg, which hinted at a forthcoming joint stablecoin launch. That stablecoin turned out to be USD1, recently listed on Binance. That same month, Abu Dhabi-based investment firm MGX announced a $2 billion investment in Binance shares, though the exact channel remained unclear at the time.
By late April, WLFI and CZ’s official social media accounts posted photos of WLFI’s three co-founders meeting with CZ in Abu Dhabi. On May 1, Trump’s second son, Eric Trump, announced that World Liberty Financial’s dollar-pegged stablecoin USD1 had been officially selected as the designated stablecoin for completing MGX’s $2 billion investment in Binance.
CZ meeting with WLFI founders, image source: X
As the lights lit up along the Potomac River, paying crypto enthusiasts and the traffic-driven president achieved mutual fulfillment. Yet the essence of this crypto celebration has long surpassed mere industry hype. It marks another viral triumph in Sun’s marketing playbook and exemplifies the high-stakes monetization of political power fused with digital assets. The absurd contrast between lavish indoor banquets and outdoor protests underscores the deepening divide between the two major U.S. parties on crypto policy.
Whether genuinely aiming to boost the industry or simply creating a new cash machine for his family, this "Crypto President" stands increasingly at the center of controversy. The grand crypto dinner may be just a performance of ambition—but what storms it will stir in the partisan battles ahead remain to be seen.
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