Forbes Criticizes Eric Trump’s Bitcoin Company as an Arbitrage Tool Exploiting MAGA Investor Sentiment
According to Forbes, Eric Trump, the second son of Donald Trump, promoted his Bitcoin company American Bitcoin as a “money-printing machine,” but it is in fact an arbitrage tool exploiting MAGA investors’ sentiment. The company attracted investors through exaggerated marketing, leveraged the premium associated with the Trump brand to issue shares at inflated valuations, raised cash, and then used the proceeds to purchase Bitcoin—while ordinary investors suffered heavy losses. Since its listing in September, the company has sold approximately 158 million shares, raising roughly $351 million, and used those funds to buy approximately $390 million worth of Bitcoin. The company claims its mining cost is around $58,000 per Bitcoin, but when equipment depreciation and other expenses are included, its total cost per Bitcoin reaches approximately $90,000—higher than Bitcoin’s current market price. The company faces risks from its mining-rig financing agreements: if Bitcoin’s price does not rebound, all the Bitcoin it mines may be used to repay equipment vendors. The company employs only two full-time staff members; its stock price has plunged 92% from its peak, and investor losses are estimated at around $500 million. Eric Trump’s personal wealth increased from approximately $190 million to $280 million.
In response, Eric Trump posted on X, calling Forbes “a political weapon and a disgrace to journalism.” He stated that American Bitcoin was founded just over a year ago and has been publicly listed for 7 months and 25 days. It currently holds over 7,000 Bitcoins, ranks as the world’s 16th-largest publicly traded Bitcoin company, and operates nearly 90,000 mining rigs.