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In March of 2025, President Donald Trump held a crypto summit for America’s cryptocurrency elite, vowing “to make America the Bitcoin superpower of the world.”<\/p>\n
“Never sell your bitcoin,” Trump told summit attendees (1).<\/p>\n
He may regret those words now \u2014 after his sons Eric and Donald Trump Jr. gambled $2.4 billion of the family’s fortune to buy bitcoin at its peak last year.<\/p>\n
As Forbes reports (2), it originally looked like their gamble would pay off, with a potential $1 billion return. Instead, the Trumps have lost more than $1 billion.<\/p>\n
Here’s why they were so ready to bet big on bitcoin, and where it all went wrong.<\/p>\n
By the time Trump was reelected, Eric and Donald Trump Jr. had converted him into a crypto crusader. The family’s cryptocurrency investments had earned him millions.<\/p>\n
That included the newly minted, Trump-owned World Liberty Financial, issuer of stablecoins (designed to have a constant worth of $1 each).<\/p>\n
The most pro-crypto president yet appointed Scott Bessent, “the most pro-innovation, pro-crypto (3) Treasury Secretary we’ve ever seen,” as described in a November 2024 X post by Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, a blockchain and cryptocurrency company.<\/p>\n
In March 2025, Trump signed (4) an executive order to establish a national Bitcoin Reserve and digital asset stockpile and set out to put in place crypto-friendly regulations.<\/p>\n
Bitcoin was blossoming. By May, a single bitcoin (BTC-USD) was worth $108,000.<\/p>\n
As Forbes reports (2), Eric and Donald Trump Jr. were convinced it would soar another 50% within the year with their father in the White House.<\/p>\n
In a bid to seize the moment and increase the Trump family fortune, the brothers bet big on bitcoin.<\/p>\n
They cashed out $1.4 billion of stock in Trump Media & Technology Group (NASDAQ:DJT) and $1 billion in convertible bonds to buy the cryptocurrency.<\/p>\n
The president’s interest in Trump Media plunged from a majority share of 52% to 41%. And now he was one of the biggest bitcoin investors in the world.<\/p>\n
By midsummer, the value of an individual bitcoin had bloomed to $119,000.<\/p>\n
The Trump brothers invested another $114 million into Cronos, a token issued by Crypto.com, which announced plans to invest $1 billion (5) into Trump Media.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Then the winds shifted and a cold economic front took the bloom off Bitcoin’s rose by late fall.<\/p>\n
Read More: How to apply Dave Ramsey\u2019s 7 Baby Steps to your own life<\/strong><\/p>\n By late November, markets signaled a move away from riskier investments like cryptocurrency, directly hitting the Trumps.<\/p>\n The crypto assets the Trumps had bought for $2.4 billion fell in value to $1.8 billion. In January 2026, the Trumps’ crypto holdings fell to $1.7 billion as Fed Chair Jerome Powell held interest rates steady \u2014 with bitcoin taking a 5% hit in one day. Now, their holdings are worth around $1.4 billion \u2014 $1 billion less than what the Trumps paid. A single bitcoin sits at around $73,000.<\/p>\n “Our bitcoin holdings reflect a long-term investment in this revolutionary digital currency, which we do not judge based on temporary, cyclical downturns,” spokesperson Shannon Devine said in a statement, per Forbes.<\/p>\n The lesson for many investors is clear: When it comes to cryptocurrency, proceed with caution. It’s easier to understand the value of traditional investments like stocks based on economic indicators, company earnings and investor sentiment.<\/p>\n In contrast, bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are more speculative investments, and are harder for most people to comprehend.<\/p>\n Atlanta-based certified financial planner Varun Marneni of CPC Advisors told Moneywise that investors would be wise to hold off on speculative investments until they have at least $100,000 in more traditional investments in their portfolios.<\/p>\n One way to invest in cryptocurrency if you do choose to do so is through exchange-traded funds. ETFDb.com (6) lists more than 50 crypto ETFs.<\/p>\n U.S. News and World Report (7) lists these among the best crypto ETFs to invest in:<\/p>\n iShares Bitcoin Trust<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Fidelity Wise Origin Bitcoin Fund<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Grayscale Bitcoin Mini Trust<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Roundhill Bitcoin Covered Call Strategy ETF<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Hashdex Nasdaq CME Crypto Index ETF<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n And if you don’t feel comfortable taking the risk in a “revolutionary digital currency,” there\u2019s certainly nothing wrong with sticking to more traditional assets like low-cost index funds.<\/p>\n Join 250,000+ readers and get Moneywise\u2019s best stories and exclusive interviews first \u2014 clear insights curated and delivered weekly. Subscribe now.<\/strong><\/p>\n We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our<\/em> ethics and guidelines<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n The New York Times (1); Forbes (2),(3); The White House (4); PBS (5); ETFDb (6); U.S. News and World Report (7)<\/p>\n This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com under the title: The Trumps have lost more than $1 billion on bitcoin since the president’s return to office. What\u2019s behind the huge loss<\/p>\n\n