Analysis: Trump's Two Cryptocurrency-Themed Dinners in May Raise Concerns of Potential Conflicts of Interest

According to a report by Jinse Finance, U.S. President Donald Trump is countering criticism linking him and his family to cryptocurrency. On May 4th, Trump posted on the X platform that he plans to host a dinner in Washington at the end of the month for major supporters of the "Trump Official Memecoin" (TRUMP memecoin). Previously, Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized the Trump family's alleged "improper" cryptocurrency transactions, including investments in Trump-related stablecoin USD1 by the UAE. In late April, Warren and several other lawmakers, including California Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, called on federal officials to address the potential risks of bribery and corruption associated with the Trump memecoin. Last week, the Financial Services Committee and the Agriculture Committee announced a joint hearing on market structure issues and released the first draft of related legislation on Monday, which includes how the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will regulate cryptocurrencies. However, Trump's plan to host two cryptocurrency-themed dinners in May has sparked new controversy. One of the dinners, titled "Crypto and AI Innovators Dinner," is hosted by the pro-Trump super political action committee MAGA Inc., with an entry fee of up to $1.5 million. The other dinner is for the top 220 investors in the Trump memecoin, with entry qualifications to be obtained through auction. Critics point out that Trump is blurring personal interests with public policy through these events, potentially violating the Constitution's "Emoluments Clause," which prohibits the president from accepting gifts or economic compensation from domestic or foreign governments or their agents. Additionally, the Trump family profits from its cryptocurrency projects, while the Trump administration's relatively lenient regulatory stance on cryptocurrency further exacerbates concerns about conflicts of interest.