The final time Justin Solar set foot within the U.S. he was Grenada’s WTO ambassador and was navigating the rocky waters of former President Biden’s crypto crackdown.
Instances have modified. Now, he is eating at an occasion hosted by President Donald Trump for the biggest holders of his TRUMP memecoin and celebrating a regulatory breakthrough, as issuers eye a possible Tron ETF, signaling a putting reversal in crypto’s American fortunes.
Talking solely with CoinDesk after the Presidential dinner, which was met by protestors, the Tron founder dismissed allegations that the token is a car for bribery. He referred to as skeptics short-sighted, arguing Trump’s embrace of crypto might spark a brand new period of digital asset innovation in America.
“All of the haters want to essentially listen,” Solar advised CoinDesk, describing Trump’s help for crypto as one of many President’s finest choices.”There are constructive issues taking place within the business.”
Solar’s relationship with Trump’s affiliated crypto ventures stretches again to only after final 12 months’s election, when he purchased as much as $75 million price of World Liberty Monetary tokens throughout a number of tranches.
Shortly after Trump took workplace, his Securities and Alternate Fee (SEC) paused a civil fraud case in opposition to Solar, alongside crypto alternate Binance; the SEC additionally withdrew from or dropped a dozen different instances, although it simply filed a recent civil fraud lawsuit in opposition to Unicoin earlier this week. And earlier on Thursday, the Wall Avenue Journal reported that the Division of Justice, which pursues prison instances, had been investigating the Tron founder since 2021.
Learn extra: The place All of the SEC Instances Are
He described the dinner as a transparent signal the U.S. is regaining its standing because the crypto’s international hub, marking a pointy reversal from the Biden administration’s battle on the business, which had beforehand prompted crypto corporations to think about offshore strikes.
“On the Trump dinner, some supporters advised me they have been considering of leaving the U.S. due to the Biden administration, transferring to locations like Hong Kong or Singapore,” Solar mentioned. “Even Consensus began holding occasions exterior of america.”
“However now they’ve modified their minds. It brings everyone again into the U.S.,” he continued.
Criticism of Trump’s resolution to launch a memecoin has come quick and livid from mainstream media, together with makes an attempt to hyperlink holders of the token to white nationalism.
Solar dismissed this criticism by emphasizing that critics have each proper to specific their views underneath the First Modification.
‘Memecoins have benefit’
Whereas protesters met the memecoin trustworthy who attended the TRUMP dinner, skepticism about meme cash is not restricted to outsiders.
At a fireplace chat throughout Consensus 2025, Barstool Sports activities founder Dave Portnoy described meme cash as primarily “playing,” questioning their longevity.
“I get why individuals prefer it,” Portnoy mentioned. “It’s a type of playing, it’s a Ponzi scheme. I don’t imply that in a detrimental means.”
Solar disagrees. Relatively than viewing meme cash as playing or Ponzi schemes, he positions them as professional segments of digital asset markets.
Solar pointed to tokens like DOGE and SHIB as examples of success tales which have helped onboard customers into crypto. He emphasised that Tron’s aim is to help “each single piece in crypto to develop and grow to be mainstream.”
“I completely suppose memecoins have benefit,” Solar advised CoinDesk. “It’s identical to doing enterprise. Some succeed, some go to zero. That’s entrepreneurship.”
UPDATE (Could 23, 06:15 UTC): Provides particulars on Solar’s earlier investigations and extra background.
