In a livestream many had been anticipating, World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a new crypto project endorsed by the Trump family, finally dropped some key details—but it took its time to get there. Former President Donald Trump, who was expected to discuss the Trump family’s involvement in the WLFI token launch, remained tight-lipped during his 45-minute appearance on X (formerly Twitter), where he was interviewed by crypto influencer Farokh Sarmad. Although Trump billed the event as a “State of Crypto address,” the main reveal came later from his team: a governance token named WLFI, amid growing scrutiny over the launch.
Trump’s Cryptic Silence Leaves the Spotlight to the Team
Despite the hype surrounding the former President’s appearance, Trump didn’t share any detailed information about World Liberty Financial during the livestream. According to Cointelegraph, Trump finally mentioned crypto about 16 minutes in, saying, “We’re going to make our country greater than ever before, and you’re going to love your crypto,” but he offered little else.
The real news came over two hours into the livestream, when Zak Folkman, one of the project leaders, confirmed the launch of WLFI, a non-transferable governance token exclusively available to accredited investors in the U.S. He cited regulatory uncertainty in the U.S. as the main reason for this decision. According to CoinDesk, Folkman explained, “Although we don’t consider WLFI to be a security, in light of regulatory uncertainty surrounding tokens in the United States, we’ve decided it’s prudent to limit the token sales to certain persons.”
The WLFI Token—Governance Without Economic Rights
The WLFI token is not designed for economic gain but is purely a governance token, allowing holders to propose and vote on platform decisions. As Cointelegraph notes, Folkman emphasized that they only want token buyers who are interested in governance, not those seeking financial returns.
Of the token supply, 63% will be sold to the public, 17% reserved for user rewards, and the remaining 20% allocated to the team and advisers, according to CoinDesk. Folkman stressed the importance of fair distribution, stating that there had been no pre-sales or early buy-ins for venture capitalists.
No Launch Date Yet, But Big Promises
While the livestream gathered over 100,000 listeners, according to The Block, many were disappointed by the lack of a concrete launch date for the token. However, Folkman and fellow project leader Chase Herro highlighted their vision to make World Liberty Financial a platform that removes barriers in traditional finance, making DeFi (decentralized finance) more accessible.
“Our goal is to build projects that are easy and simple to use and where you don’t need to phone a friend to get a walkthrough,” Folkman said during the stream. The platform will focus on borrowing and lending and reportedly plans to drive “the mass adoption of stablecoins,” according to early drafts of the white paper.
Polymarket Shows Real-Time Crypto Reactions
Polymarket, a prediction market platform, saw heavy activity throughout the livestream. According to The Block, a contract asking whether Trump would launch a cryptocurrency before the next election hit a high of over 80%. But as the livestream concluded without a clear announcement, the odds plummeted to 22%.
In another bet, users were speculating on specific crypto terms Trump might mention. Bets were placed on words like “Solana,” “Memecoin,” “Milady,” and “Doge,” but none were mentioned. Instead, Trump stuck to safer terms, mentioning “crypto” five times and “NFT” once, according to The Block.
Trump’s Evolving Relationship with Crypto
It’s worth noting that Trump’s stance on crypto has changed dramatically since 2019 when he called cryptocurrencies “based on thin air.” As CoinDesk notes, Trump has since embraced the crypto world, releasing multiple non-fungible token (NFT) collections and accepting crypto campaign contributions.
Trump’s sons also weighed in during the livestream. Donald Trump Jr. spoke passionately about DeFi, calling it what “our founding fathers intended for the country,” because of its potential to restore fairness in finance. Eric Trump also shared his own frustrations with the difficulty of using DeFi platforms like Aave (AAVE-USD), particularly when dealing with Ethereum (ETH-USD), emphasizing the need for more user-friendly options.
Key Takeaway
In conclusion, the livestream fell short of expectations as former President Trump provided minimal insight into the WLFI token launch. The key takeaway is that WLFI will be a governance token available only to accredited U.S. investors, reflecting ongoing regulatory uncertainties. The lack of a launch date and Trump’s cautious remarks led to volatile reactions on Polymarket, showcasing the uncertainty and speculation surrounding his involvement in the crypto space.
