Donald Trump’s mega cryptocurrency enterprise, World Liberty Financial, seemed on the brink of collapse after failing to meet its initial sales goals. And despite months of promotion from the Trump family, including bold promises that it would make “finance great again,” the project flopped and never gained much interest.
Sales were poor with 93% short of its fundraising target. The performance was so underperforming that it failed to even reach the low bar to trigger a payment to Trump and his family.
Justin Sun’s $30 Million Investment In WLF
Then everything changed on November 25, 2024, a day that tipped the scales in favour of World Liberty Financial. A surprise $30 million investment came from Justin Sun, the China-born crypto entrepreneur behind the Tron cryptocurrency.
That influx of capital put World Liberty Financial across the line and guaranteed the Trumps a return of at least $15 million, under the terms of the project detailed in its “gold paper.”
Sun is no stranger to headline-grabbing moves, he is a controversial figure in the cryptocurrency space. Just days before his investment in World Liberty, he famously dropped $6.2 million at a Sotheby’s auction for a banana duct-taped to a wall and then later ate it, a stunt that drew worldwide attention.
However, his work with World Liberty comes as Sun himself faces legal scrutiny. He is now fighting a lawsuit brought by the U.S. SEC over alleged market manipulation with his cryptocurrency, Tron. Sun has also denied the allegations.
Sun Saves World Liberty Financial
Sun’s $30 million investment turned out to be the lifeboat World Liberty Financial so desperately needed. Just 1.7% of the 20 billion tokens reserved for public sale had been sold, raising just $12.5 million.
Sun’s investment put the project over the top, so it would reach its sales threshold and the Trump family could collect their cut of the proceeds. Under the terms in the gold paper, 75% of the proceeds go straight to Trump’s company, DT Marks DEFI LLC.
The Trump family has a history of controversy with business interests and conflicts of interest. Sun’s investment adds a new scrutiny to the World Liberty venture.
The investment has been compared to how Trump’s businesses, including the Trump Media & Technology Group Corp., offer rich opportunities to win favour with the former president.
Sun has stated that he hasn’t met with any of the Trumps but expects to meet Eric Trump at an upcoming Bitcoin conference in Abu Dhabi next month.
Sun insists that his investment wasn’t motivated by the desire for special favours or political influence, even though his involvement with World Liberty Financial has the potential to strengthen his ties with the Trump family.
World Liberty’s cryptocurrency itself, however, has not garnered much attention as a viable investment. The tokens do not offer ownership of the company’s revenue, and they cannot be resold unless the rules of the project are changed.
But the $30 million from Sun has allowed the project to continue, securing the Trumps a significant payday and ensuring the future of the cryptocurrency experiment.