Trump Memecoin Trader Says Exclusive Dinner Cost Him $1,200

A crypto trader says he’ll be dining with US President Donald Trump next week for a fraction of the cost most assume it would take — all thanks to some creative token juggling. Morten Christensen, who runs a site that tracks cryptocurrency giveaways, says he and four friends secured invitations to an exclusive May 22 dinner at Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Virginia. Entry was reserved for the top 220 wallets with the highest “time-weighted” holdings of Trump’s memecoin over three weeks. According to Christensen, the threshold to qualify was about $54,500 worth of average holdings. However, his group claims they spent only around $1,200 each, not by buying and holding the tokens outright, but by combining long and short positions to meet the requirement while limiting exposure. Their approach involved buying the Trump token while simultaneously shorting the same amount, neutralizing price risk. Once the contest ended and the winners were notified, they closed both positions, meaning the dinner essentially cost them what they paid in trading fees. Made it to the $TRUMP dinner, now the hard part, convincing my wife to let me go pic.twitter.com/qff5nF0SGe — Morten (@Mortpoker) May 12, 2025 “We figured it won’t cost us that much to compete,” Christensen said in an interview with Bloomberg “We gave it a shot, and we made it.” The president is expected to speak about cryptocurrency at the dinner, which is taking place at Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Virginia. The top 25 holders will also receive a private tour of the White House. Christensen, who initially bought the token in January and says he made several hundred thousand dollars when it briefly surged 30x in value, plans to use the trip for light networking — and possibly to meet Trump’s son, Barron. Trump’s Controversial Crypto Dinner But the event hasn’t been without controversy. Democratic lawmakers, including Senators Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff, have called for an ethics investigation into what they describe as a “pay-to-play” scheme. They’ve also raised concerns about potential foreign influence, noting that many leaderboard participants appear to be non-U.S. citizens. The controversy has already stalled negotiations on stablecoin regulation in Congress, as some claim it’s a way to buy access to the president of the United States. Still, Christensen, who placed 188th, said the appeal was more personal than political. “It’s more like a fun trip with your friends to meet the president,” he said. “If we get to meet Barron, that would be amazing.” Christensen’s placement came as he held about $250,000 worth of the cryptocurrency, meaning others above him held even larger amounts. He revealed he knows around 20 other people who made it on the leaderboard. READ ALSO Pi Network Explodes 99% in a Week—Is This the Comeback Bulls Have Been Waiting For? Ripple Price Analysis: XRP Breaks Higher Toward $3 Disclaimer This article is provided for information only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.