Donald Trump’s “Exclusive” Crypto Dinner a Failure? Attendees Slam Poor Food, Lax Security

Top crypto investors felt shortchanged at Trump’s private dinner, while some worry about conflicts of interest.

May 25, 2025: US President Donald Trump’s much-hyped “exclusive” crypto dinner on May 22 at his Northern Virginia golf club is facing intense criticism from attendees and even some of his staunchest supporters. Despite being billed as a glamorous affair for the biggest investors in Trump’s $TRUMP meme coin, the event fell flat.

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Event Details and Attendee Gripes
Trump hosted about 220 top crypto investors, with the top 25 treated to a private reception and the top four receiving $100,000 crypto-themed watches. While Trump described the evening as “good, very good” upon his return to the White House, attendees like 25-year-old Nicholas Pinto painted a very different picture.

“The food sucked,” Pinto told CNBC. “No drinks except water and Trump’s wine, and security was lax.” He also claimed that Trump didn’t mingle much—only greeting the top 25 and leaving soon after his brief speech to take a helicopter back.

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Security Concerns and Party Chaos
Pinto added that guests’ phones weren’t even secured in RFID pouches, and that most attendees were preoccupied with the $TRUMP coin’s price fluctuations. As of May 23, the coin had dropped to $12.77 from its pre-dinner high of $16.

Industry Concerns and Conflict of Interest
The dinner has raised eyebrows in the crypto industry, with even pro-Trump figures like Nic Carter of Castle Island Ventures calling it “distasteful and an unnecessary distraction.” Carter added, “We would much rather that he passes common sense legislation and leave it at that.”

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Meanwhile, concerns about Trump’s personal financial interests overshadowing broader policy discussions have grown. James Thurber, a corruption researcher at American University, told AP: “He’s becoming a salesman-in-chief. It allows for huge conflicts of interest.”

Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal also weighed in, saying that the dinner “in effect, puts a ‘for sale’ sign on the White House,” turning it into a platform to auction off access.

Looking Ahead
This isn’t the first time Trump has pushed crypto-related policies. Since taking office, he’s signed executive orders supporting the industry and even convened a cryptocurrency summit at the White House in March. But as this dinner’s backlash shows, even among his supporters, there are growing worries about the merging of his personal business interests and national policy.

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Donald Trump, crypto dinner, $TRUMP coin, meme coin, US politics, White House, cryptocurrency summit, security concerns, conflicts of interest, Nic Carter, James Thurber, Richard Blumenthal, AP, CNBC, US presidency, meme coin investors, luxury dinner