News 
January 22, 2025 
3 min. 
In a concerning development within the cryptocurrency space, imitation tokens leveraging the names of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have attracted substantial investor attention, amassing $4.8 million in trading volume within just 24 hours. The surge comes amid heightened interest in politically-themed digital assets on the Solana blockchain network.
Proliferation of Copycat Tokens Raises Red Flags
Analysis reveals that opportunistic developers launched over 60 tokens masquerading as official Trump-related cryptocurrencies, targeting unsuspecting investors drawn to the political connection. Security experts have noted an alarming spike in potentially malicious tokens, with blockchain security firm Blockaid reporting that Trump-themed token launches more than doubled from 3,300 to 6,800 during this period.
“We’re witnessing a classic case of market manipulation where scammers exploit high-profile names to create an illusion of legitimacy,” explains Alan Orwick, co-founder of Quai Network. “The rapid influx of these copycat tokens poses significant risks to retail investors who might mistake them for authentic assets.”
Investor Losses Mount as Liquidity Vanishes
The investigation into these tokens revealed troubling patterns of market manipulation and potential fraud. Of the 38 fake Trump tokens identified on Solana decentralized exchanges, only nine maintained liquidity pools exceeding $10,000. More concerningly, six of these tokens saw their liquidity completely drained within 24 hours, leaving investors unable to sell their holdings.
The remaining tokens display equally worrying characteristics, with one showing no trading activity and another concentrated in just two wallets controlling 99% of the supply. This concentration of ownership raises serious concerns about market manipulation and the potential for further investor losses.
Sadly, the impact of these deceptive tokens has been particularly severe, with onchain analytics firm Lookonchain reporting that one investor lost nearly $1 million on a token branded as BARRON, which falsely claimed association with Trump’s son. This incident adds to a growing list of significant losses in Trump-themed cryptocurrency scams.
These developments serve as a stark reminder of the risks associated with unverified cryptocurrency investments, particularly those attempting to capitalize on public figures and current events.
