how did trump make $660 millon on his crypto and the investors lose $1.8 Billion

Trump’s crypto money came mostly from fees, licensing, and upfront sales , not from personally betting his own cash, so he could profit even when the tokens collapsed. The biggest example was his $TRUMP memecoin, where reports say he earned about $636 million from trading and licensing-linked revenue while many buyers lost money as the token’s price plunged.

How the money flow worked

• He benefited from volume, not upside alone. Each trade could generate fees, so the business could keep earning even if the coin’s market price fell.

• He licensed his name and brand. That let him collect money without being fully exposed to the token’s losses.

• He made money early. In World Liberty Financial and related crypto ventures, reports say he and his family took in large sums from initial sales and stake sales before the market downside hit buyers.

Why investors lost so much

• The $TRUMP token reportedly surged to around a $15 billion market value, then dropped to about $400 million, a roughly 97% fall.

• One analysis said nearly 1 million investors lost a total of $3.8 billion, with 988,905 accounts in the red by the end of June.

• Reuters also reported that Trump-linked crypto ventures produced about $2.3 billion for his family while many investors lost roughly as much, showing how concentrated the gains were at the top.

The core dynamic

This is basically a “heads I win, tails you lose” setup: the promoter can cash in on launches, fees, and branding while ordinary buyers carry the price risk. That is why the headlines can show Trump making hundreds of millions or more even as investors collectively lose billions.

TL;DR

Trump’s crypto profits came from controlling the business mechanics — licensing, token sales, and trading fees — so he could make money before or regardless of the token’s collapse, while investors were left holding assets that fell sharply in value.