Donald Trump and Melania Trump have launched their meme coins, as Trump gears up for his second term in the White House. The $TRUMP coin that was recently launched has attracted so much attention that it now ranks as the 22nd largest cryptocurrency in the market having a market cap of $8.87 billion. However, the anti-Trump crowd recently took notice of the $MELANIA coin minted on January 20, 2025, with a current market value of $1.19 billion.
Meme coins refer to cryptocurrencies that were created based on jokes in meme culture or a specific meme. In contrast to the traditional cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum meme coins are most often the representations of characters, animals, famous or internet celebrities. Unlike other coins that are linked with real goods and services, some of these coins may experience high volatility associated with social media trends and hype.
As with all types of cryptocurrencies, meme coins are based on blockchain technology, which ensures the safety of operations. They have no central base of control and can have volatile values frequently fluctuating, this makes them considered highly risky investments. In some instances, meme coins can garner a significant population of followers, especially those popular celebrities endorsing some of these tokens.
The $TRUMP was launched as an altcoin associated with Donald Trump's political campaign. The production of the coin is just part of Trump's comprehensive plan to accept crypto assets. Trump has in earlier times claimed to support crypto as it can grow the economy, his campaign manifesto included making favorable adjustments to the laws for the benefit of the crypto industry. This is visible through the coin's market capital, independently adopted by investors who view it as a tool to cooperate with Trump's political comeback.
Mrs. Trump who was inspired by his spouse did the same and posted about her meme crypto on Stimulation before the start of the Trump presidency's second term. $MELANIA is designed very differently from $TRUMP, but it is characterized by being a meme-based digital currency asset. Both are deemed to be marketing strategies in addition to digital coins whose prices are mainly dictated by the popularity they amass online.
Subsequently, the $TRUMP and $MELANIA coins have registered high levels of volatility from the time they were first created. Although both coins have only emerged in the past few months, they have quickly entered the race for attention in the meme coin market, which includes other established cryptocurrencies, such as Dogecoin.
What started as a decentralized digital currency that was effectively a meme has become one of the most successful cryptocurrencies, partly due in large part to the admiration of celebrities such as Elon Musk. Dogecoin has championed other meme coins that are extremely volatile to make long-term investments too if backed by the community.
Cryptocurrencies have been in the limelight in the United States mainly because of the change in the regulatory policies governing the industry. Federal agencies have targeted some crypto exchanges under the Biden administration due to the high risk of fraud and money laundering. On the other hand, they see an optimistic sign with Donald Trump intending to make new regulators and be positive towards digital assets.