Ripple Leads Cryptocurrency Donations to Trump’s Inauguration

Cryptocurrency donations to President Trump’s inauguration surpassed $13 million, with Ripple contributing $4.9 million, making it the largest crypto donor. The inauguration raised a record $239 million, doubling the funds from 2017. In addition, Strategy acquired 6,556 bitcoin, maintaining its position as the largest corporate holder, while significant losses in the crypto sector were reported due to rug pulls.

Cryptocurrency firms have notably increased their financial contributions to President Donald Trump’s inauguration events, donating over $13 million post-election. This amount contributes to the inauguration’s total fundraising of a staggering $239 million, far exceeding the $107 million raised for Trump’s prior inauguration in 2017, as reported by the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on April 20.

Ripple emerged as the largest crypto donor, allocating $4.9 million for the inauguration, ranking second overall after poultry producer Pilgrim, which donated $5 million. Subsequent contributions came from Robinhood with $2 million, followed by Coinbase, Solana Labs, Circle, Galaxy Digital, Paradigm Operations, and Kraken, each donating $1 million. Consensys contributed $100,000 to the festivities.

The substantial contributions follow investments from Fairshake, a pro-crypto Political Action Committee (PAC), which amasses over $260 million in 2024 aimed at promoting crypto-friendly policies and candidates. This funding was facilitated by major companies like Coinbase and Ripple.

In another significant development, Strategy announced the acquisition of 6,556 bitcoin for $84,785 each following a public statement from CEO Michael Saylor indicating Bitcoin’s momentum. This purchase grants Strategy a total of 538,200 bitcoin, amounting to $36.47 billion, surpassing the combined holdings of the top eight bitcoin-holding nations.

Furthermore, Metaplanet gained 330 bitcoin for $28.2 million, raising its total to 4,855 bitcoin, acquired for $414.5 million. Reports from DappRadar highlight a reduction in the number of rug pulls—crypto scams where investors lose money—but their overall impact has increased dramatically. The crypto ecosystem has suffered approximately $6 billion in losses due to rug pulls in 2025, with a staggering 92% linked to the Mantra incident, reflecting a highly significant increase in total losses compared to the previous year.