WLFI trading debut pushes Trump family holdings to billions

The value of the Trump family’s holdings in the WLFI token surged to billions on paper following the trading debut.

WLFI (WLFI), the native token of the Trump-backed DeFi venture World Liberty Financial, officially began trading on Sept. 1, 2025, allowing the public to buy and sell the tokens on open exchanges for the first time. The trading debut effectively put a real-world valuation on the family’s holdings, which had previously been locked and valued only through private sales. 

Entities tied to President Trump and his sons, including DT Marks DEFI LLC, hold just under a quarter of the total supply, more than 22 billion WLFI tokens. With the initial surge in trading, the token climbed as high as $0.33, briefly valuing their stake at about $6 billion on paper.

In the hours following the debut, the token dipped sharply on subsequent trading and large sell-offs, reaching a low of $0.21. While it remains down roughly 27% on the day, WLFI has slightly recovered to its current trading price of $0.24, putting the estimated valuation of their holdings at around $4.38 billion. 

At its peak, the valuation placed WLFI as likely the most valuable asset in the Trump family’s portfolio, surpassing their long-standing real estate holdings, according to The Wall Street Journal.

While this marked the largest single jump in their crypto valuation, experts note that converting these holdings to cash could be challenging. Selling such large amounts could depress the token price, meaning much of this wealth remains on paper rather than liquid.

The Trump family’s stake in the World Liberty Financial token is part of a broader crypto portfolio that includes the TRUMP memecoin, a family-tied Bitcoin mining venture, and digital asset holdings through Trump Media. Reports indicate the president and his family had already realized gains of over $2 billion from these ventures before the WLFI unlock.

WLFI, Trump-tied crypto ventures draw criticism

The Trump family’s growing footprint in cryptocurrency has often drawn scrutiny from lawmakers. Critics argue that ventures like WLFI, the Trump memecoin, and other related ventures create potential conflicts of interest, given the family’s political prominence.

Questions have been raised about whether these projects might influence policy, particularly as crypto regulations in the United States begin to take shape. 

However, the family has pushed back on these claims. White House spokesperson Seth Fields noted recently that President Trump “has never been involved in conflicts of interest and will never be involved.” This stance has also been echoed by Donald Trump Jr., who insists that their business ventures and political activities are separate and distinct.