Who attended Trump's crypto dinner? Photos and social media offer some clues
'Mostly men, I think I was one of the maybe 5 women there,' she wrote. 'Felt like 50/50 of people from the states compared to those from other countries — we met people from China, Philippines, Dubai, Korea, etc.'
The event has been widely criticized ever since its announcement, with government ethics experts and Democratic politicians decrying it as an extreme breach of presidential norms. Some Republican lawmakers also said the event made them uncomfortable. And while the Emoluments Clause of the Constitution gives Congress the power to limit the president from profiting off his position through foreign gifts, Trump's broad embrace of crypto and many other businesses has gone far beyond what any previous president has done while in office.
The White House did not respond to requests for comment Friday. Earlier this week, a spokesperson said Trump 'only acts in the best interests of the American public.'
As for the memecoin, which launched in January, Trump's interests are not entirely clear. While the website for the contest claims that Trump 'is appearing at the dinner as a guest and not soliciting any funds for it,' it also says that 80% of the $TRUMP coin project is owned by two Trump-affiliated companies, CIC Digital and Fight Fight Fight LLC. The coin's creators receive a transaction fee every time someone buys or sells the coin.
'You're essentially allowing people who want to ingratiate themselves to put money directly into the President's pocket, both people who are American citizens and permanent residents and foreign nationals,' said Dan Weiner, the director of the Elections and Government Program at the Brennan Center for Justice, ahead of Thursday's event. 'And that flies in the face of all of the norms we have built up around public service. It's why every other president in recent memory, voluntarily, you know, divested from any assets that might pose a conflict of interest.'
The splashiest arrivals included Justin Sun, the top buyer of $TRUMP who had revealed his identity ahead of the event, and Odom, who used to play for the Los Angeles Lakers but on Thursday night appeared promoting his own meme coin.
But alongside them was a lesser-known set of individuals. If they were among the top 220 holders of the $TRUMP coin, they also had the option to give their ticket to someone else, according to the published rules. Winners, or people who received tickets from them, were not allowed to bring guests.
NBC News requested comment from everyone it was able to identify. Most did not respond.
Some of the attendees had deep connections to the world of cryptocurrency.
Jack Lu, the CEO of the San Francisco-based NFT marketplace Magic Eden, posted a photo of himself at the event on X and was photographed entering the event by NBC News. Lu hadn't previously posted about owning $TRUMP or about politics.
Alongside him in his photo was Magic Eden's Chief Business Officer Chris Akhavan. In 2024, Akhavan tweeted about appearing at a Trump NFT event, but had not tweeted about potentially holding $TRUMP, according to a search by NBC News.
In the same photo was Clinton Bembry, the founder of Slingshot Finance, a crypto company that was recently acquired by Magic Eden. Bembry also had not previously posted about purchasing $TRUMP coin.
Another attendee, Michael Raumann, posted a signed menu on Instagram and was photographed outside the event. Raumann has worked for a German crypto startup, according to past media coverage and YouTube videos.
Stephen Hess, the founder of Metaplex, a platform that launches crypto products, posted a photo of himself ahead of the dinner, and was photographed by NBC News outside of the event in a Metaplex hat. Mackenzie Hom, who leads strategy at the Cayman Islands-based Metaplex foundation, was included in the photo, and posted photographs from the event alongside Hess and Clay Helms, head of partnerships at the company.
Metaplex software 'powered the $TRUMP token launch,' according to the dinner's website.
Sandy Carter, chief operating officer of San-Francisco-based Unstoppable Domains, a blockchain-based web-hosting company, was also photographed at the event with the group of Metaplex executives. A former vice president at Amazon Web Services, she also posted several photos to X.
Bryce Paul, the chief investment officer of San Diego-area investment fund Tower 18 Capital, posted a selfie from the event on X. 'Never stop fighting for what you believe in,' he wrote. He's also the host of a crypto podcast and the author of a crypto book, marketed as, 'How to make a fortune in the new crypto bull run… without needing much money.'
Another crypto owner, Kendall Davis, spoke to NBC News outside the event as he sparred with protesters. He said the industry had made him a multimillionaire after he previously was homeless, and he characterized his attendance as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dine with a sitting president.
Many of the attendees maintained more discreet profiles. Brian Ng, a poker player from Massachusetts, was photographed entering the event, but did not post any identifiable content using his name. In a phone call, he confirmed he attended and said it was a great networking event.
Yasin Okan, who is based in Turkey and has worked as a flight attendant according to his X and LinkedIn profiles, posted on Instagram from the event. He did not respond to a request for comment.
New Zealand financial trader and amateur soccer player Dylan Stansfield was also photographed at the event. When reached for comment, Stansfield said he was 'infuriated to have been identified' and that ''doxxing' crypto people put their lives at risk.'
There has been some growing cause for concern in the crypto world regarding personal security. In France, a string of violent kidnappings has targeted the crypto community in the last month.
Nick Pinto, an influencer who posted on TikTok, Instagram and X from the event, said others at the event were keen to maintain privacy.
'The attendees didn't like cameras. A lot of times when an event photographer came around they'd reject the request for photos,' he told NBC News.
Pinto said he tried to get a photo with Trump when he appeared, but that Trump's appearance was brief.
'He gave his speech and then immediately left. I wrote 'Can I get picture?' on my phone screen using Snapchat text like people do at concerts, and I know that he read it as he looked at me several times during his speech. I was at the front of the line. He didn't even stay to personally hand the watches to the top 4 people that paid 8 figures to get that rank.'
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