Author: Nancy, PANews
Not long ago, the main road leading to Mar-a-Lago was officially renamed "Donald J. Trump Avenue." Stretching from Palm Beach International Airport, the massive golden sign has not only become a new visual landmark for the area but also a tangible representation of Trump's personal influence.
In Palm Beach, Florida, Mar-a-Lago is no longer just Trump's private club. It serves as both a hub of power where American political and business elites mingle and a cash cow generating tens of millions of dollars annually for the Trump family.
And this road named "Trump Avenue" is already crowded with crypto visitors.
WLFI Organizes Gathering, Traditional Elites Take the Crypto Seat
At the end of January, WLFI announced that it would host the inaugural World Liberty Forum at Mar-a-Lago on February 18 (the second day of the Lunar New Year), with attendance limited to approximately 300 people.
This is not an open crypto conference but a curated, closed-door gathering of elites. Admission depends on the "weight" of the participants. Official invitees are categorized into attendees, speakers, and media. All applicants must submit details about their industry, position, contact information, and X (formerly Twitter) account for review by the organizers. Spots are non-transferable.
Judging from the announced speaker lineup, the majority come from key circles in Wall Street and American politics.
On the financial institution front, confirmed attendees include Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO David Solomon, Nasdaq Chairman and CEO Adena Friedman, and NYSE President Lynn Martin, covering critical nodes in the financial system.
In asset management and private capital, participants include Franklin Templeton CEO Jenny Johnson, Third Point founder Daniel Loeb, Altimeter Capital founder Brad Gerstner, and Avenue Capital co-founder Marc Lasry, representing long-active traditional capital forces.
On the regulatory and policy side, current U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Michael Selig, U.S. Senators Bernie Moreno and Ashley Moody, as well as Deputy Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg, are also on the official list.
Other notable figures such as FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Turing Award winner Yoshua Bengio, and Canton Network co-founder Yuval Rooz, among other cross-disciplinary individuals, have also been invited.
As initiators, Trump's two sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., along with several core members of WLFI, will participate throughout.
Compared to previous crypto events held at Mar-a-Lago, which were primarily attended by project teams, industry practitioners, and whales, this time, traditional elites are taking the main stage in crypto.
This shift may be closely related to WLFI's ongoing strategic adjustments over the past few months.
From WLFI's compliance moves, such as advancing a national trust bank charter, to promoting the launch plan of the lending platform World Liberty Markets and preparing the "digital dollar gateway" WLFI App, to continuously expanding the real-use cases and market scale of the stablecoin USD1, WLFI is attempting to position itself as a serious DeFi player, strengthening its infrastructure potential in the convergence of TradFi (traditional finance) and crypto.
Notably, WLFI recently opened a special channel for WLFI contributors. Applicants must submit details of their holdings and contributions in WLFI or the stablecoin USD1, with official资格审查 and screening.
Unlike previous models where admission was simply bought with cash, this approach favors a hybrid system of "contribution + review." To some extent, this provides community members with a pathway to join the Trump family's gatherings. Currently, some X users have proactively shared their contribution posts in an attempt to secure admission.
Testing Waters, Forming Alliances, and Raising Funds: The Trump Family's Crypto Headquarters
Prior to this, the approximately 80,000-square-meter "Winter White House" had already become a secret meeting place for the Trump family and crypto leaders.
As early as 2023, Trump invited holders of his issued NFTs to meet with him. This seemingly fan-oriented gathering was seen by many observers as a turning point—it was the first time Trump openly discussed and promoted crypto investments to a defined supporter group.
In May 2024, Trump hosted a crypto-themed event at Mar-a-Lago, where some crypto industry supporters pledged financial support for his campaign on the spot. Subsequently, his campaign team began officially accepting cryptocurrency donations, marking a shift where crypto was no longer just a symbolic political gesture but gradually became a practical fundraising tool.
A month later, Trump again hosted executives from several Bitcoin mining companies at Mar-a-Lago and publicly stated that, if returned to the White House, he would provide policy support for the mining community. Bloomberg noted at the time that Bitcoin miners were a significant supporting force in Trump's campaign camp.
Months later, on election night, crypto leaders including Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick, Bitcoin Magazine CEO David Bailey, and Kraken Chief Legal Officer Marco Santori gathered at Mar-a-Lago to celebrate Trump's victory, seen as the true beginning of a crypto-friendly era.
In January 2025, executives from major crypto companies like Crypto.com, Ripple, and Coinbase visited Mar-a-Lago to exchange views with Trump's team on policy directions and regulatory frameworks, while also making substantial donations to his political organizations.
In May 2025, Trump hosted a private dinner at Mar-a-Lago for the top 220 holders of the Meme coin $TRUMP. Attendees included Tron founder Justin Sun, former NBA player Lamar Odom, among others, with the event attracting approximately $148 million in funds.
Thus, from early supporter gatherings to campaign financing, policy statements, and regulatory communication, Mar-a-Lago has witnessed the crypto industry's journey from its grassroots origins to the halls of power.
