Justin Sun, the Tron founder, recently found himself at a dinner hosted by former President Donald Trump. This wasn’t just any dinner; it was for the biggest holders of the TRUMP memecoin. It marks quite a shift from his last visit to the U.S., when he was Grenada’s WTO ambassador, dealing with a very different political climate.
- Sun’s dinner with Trump signaled a potential shift in the U.S.’s stance on crypto, moving away from the Biden administration’s perceived “war” on the industry.
- Trump’s embrace of crypto could usher in a new era for digital assets in America, according to Sun, who sees it as a positive development.
- Sun has a history with Trump’s crypto projects, including a significant investment in World Liberty Financial tokens, and has benefited from regulatory actions.
Times certainly change, don’t they? Back then, President Biden’s administration was pushing hard on crypto. Now, Sun is celebrating what looks like a regulatory win, with talk of a potential Tron ETF (exchange-traded fund, a type of investment fund that holds assets like crypto and trades on stock exchanges). It seems America’s crypto fortunes are taking a sharp turn.
After the dinner, which had its share of protestors outside, Sun spoke with CoinDesk. He quickly pushed back against claims that the TRUMP token was some kind of bribe. He called those who doubted it short-sighted. Trump’s embrace of crypto, Sun said, could really kick off a new age for digital assets in America.
“All the haters need to really pay attention,” Sun told CoinDesk. He felt Trump’s support for crypto was one of the President’s best moves. Good things are happening in the industry, he added, and who can argue with that kind of optimism?
Sun’s connection to Trump’s crypto projects isn’t new. It goes back to just after last year’s election. He bought a lot of World Liberty Financial tokens, around $75 million worth, in different chunks. That’s a serious investment, no matter how you slice it.
Then, after Trump took office, his Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) hit pause on a civil fraud case against Sun and Binance. The SEC also pulled back from or dropped a dozen other cases. Funny how things work out, isn’t it? Though, it’s worth noting the SEC did file a fresh civil fraud lawsuit against Unicoin just this week.
And there’s more. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Department of Justice, which handles criminal cases, has been looking into the Tron founder since 2021. It seems even a fancy dinner doesn’t make all the old issues disappear. Life, as they say, goes on.
Sun saw the dinner as a clear sign the U.S. is getting back its spot as the world’s crypto center. He called it a big change from the Biden administration’s “war on the industry.” That earlier stance had many crypto firms thinking about moving their operations overseas, to places like Hong Kong or Singapore.
“At the Trump dinner, some supporters told me they were thinking of leaving the U.S. because of the Biden administration,” Sun shared. “Even Consensus started holding events outside of the United States.” He explained that now, those same people have changed their minds. “It brings everybody back into the U.S.,” he said, sounding quite pleased.
Of course, criticism of Trump’s decision to launch a memecoin came quickly. Mainstream media, for example, tried to connect holders of the token to white nationalism. Sun simply waved off this criticism, saying critics have every right to speak their minds under the First Amendment. Fair enough, everyone gets to have their say.
Memecoins: More Than Just a Laugh?
While protestors gathered outside the TRUMP dinner, it’s not just outsiders who doubt memecoins. At a recent chat during Consensus 2025, Dave Portnoy, the Barstool Sports founder, called memecoins “gambling.” He questioned how long they would last.
“I get why people like it,” Portnoy admitted. “It’s a form of gambling, it’s a Ponzi scheme. I don’t mean that in a negative way.” It’s a curious way to describe something, isn’t it? Like saying a roller coaster is a fun way to feel sick.
Sun, however, sees things differently. He doesn’t view memecoins as just gambling or Ponzi schemes. Instead, he sees them as proper parts of the digital asset markets. He believes they have a real place, which is a bold stance in a world often quick to dismiss them.
He pointed to tokens like DOGE and SHIB as examples of big wins. These, he said, have helped bring new users into crypto. Tron’s aim, he stressed, is to help “every single piece in crypto to grow and become mainstream.” It’s all about getting more people involved, one coin at a time.
“I totally think memecoins have merit,” Sun told CoinDesk. He compared it to any other business venture. “Some succeed, some go to zero. That’s entrepreneurship.” It’s a simple idea, really. Some ideas fly, some fall flat. That’s just how the cookie crumbles in the wild west of digital money.
