KEY POINTS
- BitMart's Sheldon Xia revealed he will get a 'private VIP tour' after the Gala Dinner as he placed in the Top 25
- All Top 220 holders who hold on to their $TRUMP coins until the dinner will get a 'Diamond Hand' limited-edition NFT
- Trump has been at center of political concerns over his alleged 'corruption' in relation to his crypto ventures
The first ever TRUMP meme coin competition has ended, and the team behind the U.S. president's official meme token revealed that the top 220 holders on the leaderboard will not just have dinner with President Donald Trump, but they will also get their backgrounds checked before the event.
Some of the winners have posted the emails they received from the TRUMP meme coin team, wherein it was confirmed that winners have been invited to the Gala Dinner on May 22.
Crypto Executive Reveals Major Perk
Sheldon Xia, the founder of cryptocurrency trading platform BitMart, revealed late Monday that he made to the Top 25 of the meme coin contest.
According to Xia, he is heading to the much-anticipated dinner at the Trump National Golf Club in D.C., and he will also get a "private VIP tour the next day."
Just made it into the Top 25 of the Trump Meme Contest—heading to the VIP Reception & Gala Dinner on May 22 at Trump National Golf Club DC, plus a private VIP tour the next day!
— Sheldon (@sheldonbitmart) May 13, 2025
Proud to support President Trump’s pro-crypto vision. Web3 needs bold, decisive leadership to thrive… pic.twitter.com/u1h6Ur2I1I
As per the leaderboard, a "VIP" with the name Xia is the Top 18 TRUMP holder. A TRUMP whale with the username Sun is the top holder among all 220 top TRUMP coin holders. Sun's current token holdings are at 1.4 million coins, while Xia's current holdings are at 174,000.
Top 220 to Receive Unique NFTs
The TRUMP token team announced that exclusive nonfungible tokens (NFTs) will be created and given to everyone who signed up for the leaderboard.
Also, the Top 220 holders will get unique NFTs, which will be sent to their wallets shortly after the Gala Dinner.
For Top 220 holders who "HODL" their coins until the dinner, they will get a "TRUMP Diamond Hand limited edition TRUMP Solana NFT," plus more TRUMP Rewards points.
The team went on to tease that there will be a "next era of $TRUMP" that will be unveiled at the dinner.
The First $TRUMP Competition is officially over! Details and what's next for $TRUMP Below:
— TrumpMeme (@GetTrumpMemes) May 12, 2025
If you were in the top 220 on the leaderboard, check the email you signed up with for details on the Dinner with President Trump as soon as possible. There will be background checks that…
Background Checks Necessary
Aside from the big announcements made Monday to winners of the first TRUMP meme coin competition, the TRUMP team also said "there will be background checks that need to be completed before your attendance is confirmed."
No further details were provided regarding the background checks, but it is worth noting that many crypto users jumped into the space due to the anonymity promised around a holder's background.
Trump's upcoming Gala Dinner with TRUMP whales comes amid increasing scrutiny over the president's crypto ventures.
Just last week, Democratic lawmakers stormed out of a scheduled hearing on crypto legislation after Republicans allegedly refused to discuss Trump's crypto involvement.
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., said she objected to the hearing due to the president's "ownership of crypto" and his "corruption" in relation to his crypto ventures.
There has been growing concern over potential conflicts of interest surrounding the president's role as the head of the country and his continuing business ventures in the crypto space.
