On March 17, 2025, the decentralized finance (DeFi) project World Liberty Financial (WLF) announced the completion of its second token sale round, raising 550 million USD from the governance token WLFI. Notably, President Donald Trump and partners at DT Marks DEFI LLC pocketed 390 million USD – 75% of revenue after expenses – solely from promoting the project. Is this a financial victory or a sign of conflict of interest in the Trump administration?
WLFI: 550 Million USD From Two Token Sale Rounds
#WLF , operating on the Ethereum blockchain, announced on Monday that they raised a total of 550 million USD through two WLFI token sales. This is a governance token, allowing owners to vote on project decisions but cannot be publicly traded – a controversial feature since its launch. According to WLF's 'gold paper,' after deducting 30 million USD in operational costs, 75% of the remaining funds – 390 million USD – belongs to Trump and partners in DT Marks DEFI LLC, a Florida-based company with the same address as the Trump Organization's headquarters.
Trump does not directly operate WLF but acts as a 'promoter,' allowing the project to use his name and image 'over time.' Nevertheless, this enormous profit puts him in the spotlight, especially as his administration prepares to shape crypto regulation in the US.
Journey From Struggling Start to Breakthrough
Upon launching in October 2024, WLF struggled to attract investors. Before the 2024 US elections, the project managed to sell less than 15 million USD in tokens, far from the 300 million USD target, according to data from Dune. The WLF website faced multiple crashes due to low traffic, and the WLFI token was criticized for poor liquidity (non-transferable).
However, everything changed after $TRUMP was re-elected. Interest surged, notably from Justin Sun – founder of the Tron blockchain – who purchased tens of millions of USD in WLFI and subsequently became a project advisor. By March 2025, WLF completed the sale of 25 billion tokens (25% of the total supply of 100 billion), far exceeding initial expectations. This move coincided with the SEC temporarily postponing a long-running fraud lawsuit against Sun at the end of February to 'explore potential solutions,' raising questions about Trump's influence.
Trump and Conflict of Interest
Since his second inauguration, #TRUMP faces questions about conflicts of interest with personal investments in crypto – a sector his administration will regulate. Besides WLF, the meme coin project TRUMP launched before the inauguration (01/20/2025) brought in over 9 billion USD in token value according to current levels (03/17). DT Marks DEFI LLC also owns 22.5 billion WLFI, worth hundreds of millions of USD based on public sale valuation.
David Sacks – Trump's 'AI and crypto mogul' – dismisses these concerns, calling Trump’s crypto projects 'unrelated' to industry regulations. However, with Trump and his family (Donald Jr., Eric, Barron) deeply involved in WLF – from 'Web3 Ambassador' to 'DeFi Pioneer' – questions about transparency and fairness remain prominent.
Impact on the Crypto Market
Short term: The prices of BTC (83,000 USD) and ETH (1,760 USD) show little direct movement from WLF news (03/17), but positive sentiment spreads due to Trump’s crypto-friendly policies. On Binance, traders can monitor BTC/USDT: support at 80,000 USD for a dip buy, resistance at 85,000 USD if FOMO rises. WLFI is not publicly traded, but its success could boost other altcoins like SUI (2.36 USD), which is also linked to WLF.
Long term: WLF's raising of 550 million USD places it in the top 10 largest token sales (ICODrops), solidifying DeFi's position in the eyes of institutional investors. If Trump promotes a USD-pegged stablecoin (WLF’s goal), it could compete with USDT or $USDC , increasing US influence in crypto. However, conflicts of interest could undermine trust if regulations skew in favor of Trump’s personal interests.
Trader's Perspective
On Binance:
BTC/USDT: Buy at 80,000 USD if CPI (03/14) supports, take profit at 85,000-90,000 USD.
ETH/USDT: Support at 1,750 USD, resistance at 1,800 USD if DeFi benefits.
Monitor crypto policies from Trump and Justin Sun's moves with WLF.
BNB570.66+1.38%
Conclusion: Finance or Power?
Trump earning 390 million USD from WLFI is a significant financial success, transforming WLF from a struggling project into a 'golden goose' post-election. For Binance users, this presents an opportunity to observe the impact of Trump on crypto. But as he is both president and the 'token king,' the big question remains: Is this progress for DeFi, or just a way for Trump to leverage his power for wealth? The market and time will tell.
Risk Warning: Crypto investment is highly risky due to price volatility. Only invest what you are willing to lose. #anhbacong