Documents reveal that the Trump Organization sold a stake in World Liberty Financial, a decentralized finance project tied to former President Donald Trump, around the time he took office.
The information emerged in a letter from an independent monitor overseeing the Trump business, submitted to a New York judge last month. The letter states that the Trump Organization repurposed an existing entity to enter into an agreement related to World Liberty Financial, which sold at least $550 million in crypto tokens largely during the surge preceding Trump’s inauguration.
“In January 2025, the monitor’s team was notified that a portion of this entity would be sold to a third party,” the letter read, but it did not disclose the sale price, stake size, or buyer identity. It is unclear whether the deal was completed.
Efforts to obtain comment from the Trump Organization, World Liberty Financial, and associated figures—including cofounder Alex Witkoff and crypto investor Justin Sun—were unsuccessful. Sun had announced a $45 million investment in World Liberty Financial the day before the inauguration, though it is uncertain if this was for tokens or equity in Trump’s entity.
Publicly, the Trump family has promoted their crypto ventures, with Donald Trump and his sons vocal about their support. However, the documents suggest the family may be divesting at least a portion of their holdings.
Trump unveiled World Liberty Financial in September, releasing a “gold paper” outlining a token sale. Of the initial $30 million raised, the majority was earmarked for insiders: 75% to a Trump company, 12.5% to entrepreneurs involved in setup, and 12.5% to a company linked to the family of real estate developer Steve Witkoff, now a Trump administration ambassador.
Records show Trump renamed an existing entity to DT Marks DEFI LLC, registered in Delaware, to facilitate agreements related to the token. Trump’s financial disclosures indicate he held full ownership of multiple entities registered on January 4, 2016, including this one.
Early token sales were modest, totaling about $15 million by early November 2024. Following Trump’s election victory, interest rose, highlighted by Sun’s $30 million announcement in late November. Token sales climbed to $94 million by January 18, 2025.
A surge followed after Trump released a separate memorcoin, sparking heavy demand. World Liberty Financial reported selling $300 million in tokens by January 19, with approximately two-thirds sold within a 29-hour window before the inauguration. Sun added another $45 million in investment, and the project issued additional tokens raising $250 million.
In recent remarks at a Bitcoin conference, Eric and Donald Trump Jr. expressed strong support for the crypto industry and their father’s backing. However, the reported sale suggests the Trump family may be capitalizing on opportunities to reduce their exposure.