Pharma Bro" Claims Barron Trump Launched TrumpCoin Cryptocurrency
Summary:
Martin Shkreli, infamously known as "Pharma Bro," alleges that Barron Trump, son of Donald Trump, initiated the TrumpCoin (DJT) cryptocurrency with his father's approval. Shkreli claims Barron consulted him for advice on the token's launch, and now holds the private keys to its smart contract address. The alleged involvement of the controversial cryptocurrency influencer "Ansem" is also hinted at. Shkreli insists that Donald Trump was aware of DJT and approved it, though no public statement from Barron or his representatives has been made to confirm or deny these accusations. The validity of Shkreli's allegations remains disputed.
Martin Shkreli, otherwise known as the infamous "Pharma Bro," alleges that Barron Trump, the 18-year-old son of Donald Trump, initiated the TrumpCoin (DJT) cryptocurrency with his father's blessing, and is in possession of the private keys to the smart contract address. Shkreli, who has served over half a decade in jail for committing securities fraud, maintains that Barron approached him with a proposal to create the Solana-powered token this past April. Current data from Birdseye estimates the token's value at $146 million. No public comment regarding these allegations has been made by Barron or his team.
During a Mario Nawfal-moderated X Spaces event, Shkreli stated that his involvement in the DJT launch was merely advisory — allegedly aiding his "friend," Barron Trump, with pointers about the token release process, but not taking an active role in triggering its deployment. He insisted that the real brain behind DJT was Barron Trump, adding to his narrative by mentioning the participation of cryptocurrency influencer “Ansem”.
Shkreli, through an X post, clarified that he guided an individual to fashion a contact and that individual, not he, pushed the button. "The keys belong to Trump, not me,” he added. He further suggested in one Tuesday's X Spaces event that DJT was a collaborative project with roughly 10 people involved, and he was not the lone executor.
He asserted that Barron Trump communicated with the Kraken crypto exchange for potential DJT listing discussions. However, when Cointelegraph contacted Kraken, they did not immediately respond outside regular working hours. Shkreli's allegations also extend to claim that Donald Trump was knowledgeable about the DJT token and gave it his stamp of approval.
Shkreli tried to corroborate his statements by inviting “Mongolian Prince” to the X spaces, another teenager alleged to be in league with Shkreli.
Mongolian Prince alleged he had a recent encounter with Barron Trump in Florida. Nevertheless, his recounting of Donald Trump's purported involvement in the matter was vague. According to Mongolian Prince's storytelling, a less-than-clear response from Donald Trump was elicited when Barron displayed his Solana-based Phantom wallet to his father before the DJT token launch.
Following the X Spaces event, a revelation was made that blockchain detective ZachXBT had earned a $150,000 reward from Arkham Intelligence, a blockchain analytics company, for arguably unmasking Shkreli as the actual creator of the DJT token. This instigated Adam Cochran from venture capital firm Cinneamhain Ventures to accuse Shkreli of scapegoating Barron to absolve himself of any obligation.
A divide among the audience was evident in the X spaces with some finding Shkreli's narrative plausible, while others dismissed the idea that Barron Trump, during an election year, would jeopardize his father's reputation.
Convicted on two charges of securities fraud and a conspiracy count in 2017, Shkreli spent almost seven years behind bars and faced over $70 million in penalties. Speculations are now floating that Shkreli's recent actions might infringe his parole conditions, although Shkreli swats the suspicions away. He retorted to the 1.6 million follower X account "BORED" speculation of his prison return, saying, “Read the law idiot.”
Published At
6/20/2024 8:42:31 AM
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