Trump's crypto empire continues to grow with a new plan to issue tokens to Trump Media shareholders

• Trump Media has announced plans to launch a new crypto token.
• Based on the Cronos blockchain, it will be distributed among the company's shareholders.
• Other crypto ventures linked to Trump have struggled significantly this year.

Trump Media & Technology Group shareholders may be receiving a late Christmas gift shortly after the 2025 holiday season, though the exact date isn't clear.

The Truth Social parent has announced plans to issue a new crypto to its investor base. In a company statement released on Wednesday, December 31, the company revealed that it will distribute the token in partnership with Crypto.com and that it will operate on the Cronos blockchain.

While the statement noted that Trump Media expects each DJT shareholder to receive one token for every share they hold, no specific timing has been provided yet. The company also said that those who receive these tokens may also be given rewards in the coming year, which may include discounts on company products.

This decision comes at a time when digital assets with ties to the Trump name have struggled significantly and are facing increasing scrutiny from both finance pros and investors. The Trump family lost roughly $1 billion in the recent crypto market meltdown, primarily due to bitcoin's steep decline and the $Trump meme coin falling sharply. American Bitcoin Corp, a company in which Eric Trump is a primary shareholder, has struggled significantly since its September IPO, falling 14% year-to-date.

As the crypto market continues to struggle, this new crypto offering, intended to reward Trump Media shareholders after a difficult year, may raise some questions. Haonan Li, founder of stablecoin merchant platform Codex, noted that it is entering the market at a less-than-ideal time.

"Projects like this are entering a much more skeptical market," he told Business Insider. "Investors already have many ways to get crypto exposure, and spreading a strategy across multiple Trump-linked vehicles risks diluting demand rather than concentrating it."

$Trump coin's recent performance may also raise concern, as it could be viewed as an indication of instability for the new crypto. The meme coin has fallen 14% over the past month. Meanwhile, the $MELANIA Trump meme coin plunged shortly after its launch in January 2025 and is down 94% for the year.

Li also noted that the world of crypto is ever-changing and with it, the rules that drive the volatile market. In his view, the last crypto cycle was dominated by narratives, as real economic activity was constrained by regulation. But the market has shifted since then and the outlook is starkly different.

"The lines are blurring, but investors are far more discerning than last cycle, and simply copying what worked before will not be enough," he added.

Trump's pro-crypto policies helped boost markets earlier in 2025 as investors viewed it as lending stability to the notoriously volatile asset class, cheering the easing of regulatory roadblocks. But with the year ending on a low note, it is unclear how a crypto created to reward shareholders in a struggling stock will be received.