What is $Melania Coin?

Less than two days after the OFFICIAL TRUMP (TRUMP) coin launch, First Lady Melania Trump introduced her own meme coin in the late hours of Jan. 19, 2025 (UTC). As anticipated, Official Melania Meme (MELANIA), commonly referred to as the Melania Coin, was launched to much fanfare, and its price quickly soared. But can this initial excitement translate into long-term success? Here’s an in-depth look at $MELANIA and its early impact on the market.

What is Official Melania Meme (MELANIA)?

$MELANIA is a meme coin launched by Melania Trump on the Solana blockchain.

The official website for the $MELANIA token, announced via Mrs. Trump’s X (formerly Twitter) account, describes it as a symbol of “engagement” and “support.” It further emphasizes that the token is “not intended” to serve as an investment opportunity.

That said, $MELANIA appears designed to appeal to Trump supporters while also aligning with the niche of politically themed cryptocurrencies and the opportunities they present.

How does $MELANIA work?

$MELANIA operates on the Solana blockchain, which is generally known for its high transaction speeds, low fees, and solid security infrastructure.

You can buy $MELANIA using a range of payment methods, including debit cards and cryptocurrencies. The token is intended to function primarily as a collectible and a means of showing support, rather than as a speculative investment.

Token distribution and vesting:

• Liquidity: 10%
• Public distribution: 15%
• Team vesting: 35%
• Treasury: 20%
• Community: 20%

Team vesting schedule:

• Days 1-30: Initial lock period
• Day 30: Unlocks 10% of team allocation (3% of total supply)
• Months 2-13: The remaining 90% vests linearly at approximately 2.25% monthly
• Month 13: Full vesting completed

This distribution strategy ensures that liquidity is maintained, the community is engaged, and the team remains committed for the long term. The vesting schedule prevents sudden market dumps, which, in turn, could ensure a stable growth environment for $MELANIA.

It is worth noting that the blockchain analytics platform Bubblemaps challenged official token distribution claims, reporting that 89% of the token supply was concentrated in a single wallet.

While this revelation raised concerns among some, others defended the First Lady’s meme coin. They argued that a delay between the official announcement and the planned token distribution is not uncommon.

Bubblemaps later updated its findings and revealed that the tokens had since been redistributed into four primary wallets holding 30%, 30%, 20%, and 6% of the supply.

Buying Melania Coin:

• Payment methods: Debit cards, Apple Pay, Visa/Mastercard, Venmo, Stripe
• Platforms: Official website (melaniameme.com) and an increasing number of exchanges — both centralized (CEX) and decentralized (DEX)
• Process: Purchase via the official Melania Meme website using your preferred payment or trade existing cryptocurrencies like ETH or BNB on exchanges

Market impact and early reactions

$MELANIA reached a market cap exceeding $5 billion shortly after launch. This rapid and sharp spike caused Donald Trump’s $TRUMP token to drop by $7.5 billion within ten minutes.

$TRUMP initially soared to a $14+ billion market cap but crashed around the same time as $MELANIA’s official launch.

Notably, despite the official declaration that $MELANIA is solely a digital collectible, market activities reveal a different narrative. The token has attracted significant investor interest, which is evident from its rapid increase in market capitalization and active trading volumes.

This behavior aligns with typical patterns observed in meme coins, where speculative investments often drive substantial market movements.

Is Melania Coin a rug pull?

While some critics were explicitly or implicitly comparing $Melania with rug pulls, it is unlikely to be the case — at least not in the traditional sense. This assumption holds for now, especially given the individuals associated with the token and their significant social and political stature. Many experts have echoed similar views.

For instance, Coinbase executive Conor Grogan is of the view that the Melania Coin is unlikely to be a rug. However, he did note that the team overseeing the project was not nearly as meticulous as the one behind the TRUMP token.

“My guess is that this token was handled by a different team than TRUMP’s. That one looks like professional market makers, this one honestly looks like a college kids.”

— Conor Grogan on X

That said, some critics argue that the introduction of $TRUMP and $MELANIA tokens could harm the crypto ecosystem by (further) undermining its credibility.

Additionally, the rapid surge and subsequent volatility of such meme coins might further reinforce negative perceptions of crypto as highly unstable and speculative.

Should you invest in Melania Coin?

Both $TRUMP and $MELANIA have once again underlined the incredible scope for massive short-term profits in the meme coin niche. That said, these assets are usually highly speculative, and investing in them is often not too different from rolling the dice at a casino. Therefore, if you’re considering an investment, make sure to conduct thorough research and approach cautiously. Only invest what you can afford to lose, as the unpredictable nature of meme coins means things could take a downturn just as quickly as they rise.