Trump, Tiptoeing the Edge of the Constitution: The Night Before Taking Office, He Capitalized on a MEME Coin Craze
Original Article by: Zack Guzmán, Founder and Host of Coinage_media
Article Translation by: Ashley, BlockBeats
Editor's Note: The author points out that the Trump family cleverly circumvented the Constitution's Emoluments Clause controversy when launching the $TRUMP and $MELANIA tokens. By strategically entering the NFT and cryptocurrency space early on, they leveraged Web3 to maximize their interests within legal boundaries.
The following is the original content (slightly reorganized for better readability):
The Trump family rapidly rolled out the $TRUMP and $MELANIA tokens just before the inauguration ceremony for a very crucial reason. Whether you love or hate Trump, the fact is, delaying even one more day could have exposed him to the risk of constitutional violations and potential impeachment once again.
According to the Constitution, the President must not abuse their power for personal gain. In particular, the Emoluments Clause explicitly prohibits the President from receiving benefits or profits from foreign governments. This is precisely why these tokens are so noteworthy.
Over the past few years, the Trump couple has been testing the market waters through various NFT releases. They have used separate companies and seemingly different teams. These companies have paid Melania and Trump respective fees, thus maintaining the "independence" of direct token purchases.

According to Trump's public tax filings, he earned approximately $7.2 million through involvement in NFT-related transactions. This income is linked to his partnership with CIC Digital in the $TRUMP project. Melania, on the other hand, earned over $330,000 through an agreement related to NFT sales.

Despite all this appearing convoluted, one thing is certain: launching these tokens before Trump formally became President made things easier. Failing to do so would have made it easier to allege that Trump benefited from the presidency and violated the Emoluments Clause.
While our founding fathers hoped to prevent the President from unduly profiting from power, I don't think Jefferson or Madison ever discussed meme coins. What do you think?
You may also like

WEEX Alpha Awakens Final Round Has Officially Begun
Day 1 of the WEEX AI Trading Hackathon Final Round is now live! Watch top algorithmic trading strategies compete with real capital. Follow the action from Feb 3–16, 2026, with $880K+ in prizes. Tune in live now. #AITrading #TradingHackathon

WLFI Team Meeting, Ally Meeting, Seaside Villa Cryptocurrency Business Kickoff

OpenClaw Hackathon, What are some projects worth checking out

The Bithumb 2000 BTC Mistake: The Fundamental Issue with CEX Ledgers

LayerZero releases L1 chain Zero, CZ appears on the All-In podcast, what's the overseas crypto community talking about today?

Binance Alpha has turned the airdrop into a "blind box" game
AI Wars: WEEX Alpha Awakens - The Global AI Trading Hackathon Redefining Financial Markets
Compete in WEEX's global AI trading hackathon with $880K+ prize pool. Build & test algorithms in live markets. Bentley & crypto prizes await top AI trading strategies. Join now!

Kyle Samani's Exit Scam, Is There More to the Story?

February 10th Market Key Intelligence, How Much Did You Miss?

Tokenomics New Paradigm? When Backpack Starts Enabling VCs to "Deferred Gratification"

BankrCoin Achieves New Milestones as YZi Labs and ETH Investors Make Significant Moves
Key Takeaways BankrCoin (BNKR) hit a new all-time high with significant market activity. YZi Labs executed a major…

Bitcoin Tests $75K Amid Market Predictions
Key Takeaways Bitcoin shows a 47% chance to test the $75,000 mark this February, contrasting with a potential…

MrBeast Acquires Step to Enhance Financial Offerings for Youth
Key Takeaways YouTube star MrBeast has acquired the financial services platform Step through Beast Industries. The acquisition aims…

Polymarket Predicts Bitcoin Uptrend as MrBeast Ventures into Fintech
Key Takeaways Bitcoin’s Potential Surge: Polymarket denotes a fluctuating probability of Bitcoin achieving $75,000 in February, reflecting volatile…

MrBeast Enters Financial Services with Step Acquisition
Key Takeaways Binance announced an Alpha Airdrop event, highlighting the growing trend of gamified airdrops. Bitcoin prediction markets…

Analysts Predict Bitcoin May Fall to $55K as Support Levels Threaten
Key Takeaways Analysts suggest a potential drop of Bitcoin to $55K if current support levels are breached. Galaxy…

Analysts Predict Bitcoin May Drop to $55K Amid Support Challenges
Key Takeaways Experts caution that Bitcoin could fall to $55,000 if current support levels are breached. The market…

Bitcoin May Decline to $55K: Analysts Warn
Key Takeaways Analysts project Bitcoin could drop to $55,000 if key support levels fail. Technical analysts forecast that…
WEEX Alpha Awakens Final Round Has Officially Begun
Day 1 of the WEEX AI Trading Hackathon Final Round is now live! Watch top algorithmic trading strategies compete with real capital. Follow the action from Feb 3–16, 2026, with $880K+ in prizes. Tune in live now. #AITrading #TradingHackathon