How Trump made more than $1 billion on crypto when most of his coin’s investors lost money | CNN Business

President Donald Trump launched his $TRUMP memecoin in the days leading up to his second inauguration, ushering in a pro-crypto administration – and a lucrative family business. The venture that netted Trump hundreds of millions of dollars last year, part of overall crypto gains that topped $1 billion. Most $TRUMP memecoin investors weren’t so lucky. $TRUMP was an instant success, catapulting to a $15 billion market valuation, according to CoinMarketCap. It’s now worth just $400 million – a 97% implosion. But the memecoin’s price is meaningless to Trump. Even as his memecoin investors lost money, Trump reaped the rewards. Trump attributed his enormous 2025 wealth increase to the stock market. “You know why I’m profiting, because the stock market’s going up,” Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews before a flight to North Dakota. “Everybody’s profiting.” He’s not wrong that the market is boosting Americans’ portfolios: Folks who were invested in the S&P 500 throughout 2025 earned a handsome 17.9% return on their investment. But that’s not what’s going on here. Crypto, not stocks, accounted for the bulk of Trump’s net worth gain last year. Of tha