DJT Surges on Trump Official Token Rumors, Arkham Offers $165K Bounty to Unmask Creator
Blockchain analytics firm Arkham Intelligence has announced a $150,000 bounty for anyone who can definitively identify the creator of the Solana-based token DJT, which saw a dramatic 500% surge on Monday fueled by unsubstantiated rumors linking it to former President Donald Trump.
"$150,000 to the first person to definitively prove the identity of the creator of $DJT," Arkham posted on X on June 18. The bounty, which will remain active for eight days, will be paid in 100,000 Arkham (ARKM) tokens, valued at $1.50 each at the time of the announcement, according to CoinMarketCap. ARKM is currently valued at $1.65, increasing the value of the bounty to $165,000.
Arkham's bounty notice specifies that the evidence must be original and not sourced from the internet. "Find definitive evidence of the creator of $DJT. We will accept private proof for this bounty but if accepted, that proof will be made public," the notice states. It also clarifies that simply linking to previously broken news will not qualify for the reward.
In parallel, speculation continues to swirl online about whether Donald Trump or someone from his family is behind the DJT token. The decentralized betting platform Polymarket has seen nearly $1.7 million in wagers on whether the DJT token is genuinely linked to Trump. Currently, only 17% of bettors are in the "Yes" camp. To win, they need to provide definitive proof by 11:59 PM ET on June 21; otherwise, the market will resolve to "No."
The rumors that Trump might be involved with the DJT token were initially sparked by a post from tech blog Pirate Wires, which claimed that Trump's son, Barron Trump, spearheaded the token. However, Pirate Wires offered no detailed sources for these claims. Pirate Wires creator Mike Solana admitted he had not spoken directly with Trump and was merely reporting what he had heard from his sources.