Hunter Biden Called Trump’s Crypto Empire “Corruption at a Scale We’ve Never Seen.” Now He’s Launching His Own Memecoin.
Weeks after calling the Trump family's crypto venture a historic corruption scandal, Hunter Biden announced his own memecoin complete with a burn mechanism tied to the 2028 election. His motive is unusually candid, and the token economics raise questions worth…
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On August 20, 2026, Hunter Biden posted to his verified X account that the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial venture is “corruption at a scale we’ve never seen,” citing a lawsuit brought by crypto founder Justin Sun over his investment in the DeFi project. Roughly two and a half weeks later, Biden is launching his own memecoin. The Wall Street Journal reported the plan on September 7, 2026, and Biden confirmed the LAPTOP ticker on X shortly after, according to Decrypt. Per Decrypt, the token launches September 9 on Base, Coinbase‘s (NASDAQ:COIN | COIN Price Prediction) Ethereum layer-2 network.
Token Economics
LAPTOP will have a total supply of 1 billion tokens, according to Decrypt. The founding team allocation carries a six-month lock-up and vests over two years, according to Decrypt. Per Decrypt, 20% of supply is earmarked for airdrops, and another 20% covers charity, liquidity and foundation functions.
A conditional burn allocation is tied to three preset events. Portions are burned if a Democrat wins the 2028 presidential election, if Bitcoin (CRYPTO:BTC) sets another all-time high, or if LAPTOP’s fully diluted valuation surpasses that of Official Trump (CRYPTO:TRUMP), according to Decrypt. Unresolved events send that share to charity instead.
Airdrop Strategy
One airdrop tranche targets wallets that lost money on TRUMP, President Trump’s memecoin. Other eligible wallets belong to Biden’s Substack subscribers and a mailing list curated by video journalist Andrew Callaghan. According to Decrypt, Callaghan stated he and Channel 5 have no involvement in the token and do not believe crypto is a legitimate investment.
TRUMP’s market capitalization sat at around $600 million in early September 2026, well off its peak, according to Decrypt. Per Decrypt, both TRUMP and the Melania Trump token, launched in 2025, have lost more than 90% of their respective market capitalizations since debut.
Backlash and Copycats
Reaction skewed heavily toward mockery. One X user wrote, “You criticize [President Donald] Trump for doing a scam then do one yourself,” a sentiment repeated across dozens of quote-tweets. Copycat tokens using the LAPTOP ticker appeared on other networks within minutes, none connected to the project. A Kraken post promoting a LAPTOP listing circulated Monday before disappearing. Traders criticized announcing the ticker two days early, arguing it hands automated buyers an advantage, according to Decrypt.
Legal Bills and Motive
Biden has been direct about his reasoning. In an interview with Tucker Carlson, he said he wants “to make some money,” referencing his legal bills, according to via Tucker Carlson interview, reported by Decrypt. Per Decrypt, his lawyer told a Washington court in April 2026 that Biden lives abroad and cannot afford to pay.
Political Tokens and Risk
Politically tinged tokens reliably draw initial buyers regardless of sentiment. The token promoted by Argentine President Javier Milei drew large valuation within hours before collapsing. Per Decrypt, Hailey Welch’s Hawk Tuah token suffered a more than 90% crash after its peak. As investor Mark Cuban told Decrypt, every meme coin is “a rug pull in the works.” Watch whether the founder allocation still exists in six months when the lock-up ends and where the market capitalization sits then.
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AJ has spent the past 10 years writing about financial markets at The Motley Fool. His coverage centers on technology stocks and the broader macroeconomic trends, from interest rates to geopolitics, that shape where markets are headed next. AJ is drawn to the stories where big-picture economics and individual companies collide.
