WLFI hosts a meeting, allies attend, Mar-a-Lago starts a crypto business.

Author: Nancy, PANews

Not long ago, the main road leading to Mar-a-Lago was officially renamed "Donald J. Trump Avenue." This road stretches from Palm Beach International Airport, and its huge gold sign has not only become a new local visual landmark 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 is both a power hub for American political and business elites and a cash cow for the Trump family, generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue annually.

This road, named "Trump Avenue," is already packed with crypto enthusiasts.

WLFI hosts a game, with traditional elites taking to the encrypted main table.

In late January, WLFI announced that it would hold the first World Liberty Forum on February 18 (the second day of the Lunar New Year) at Mar-a-Lago, with seating limited to around 300 people.

This is not an open crypto conference, but a closed-door gathering of elites. Entry depends on the "clout" of the participants. Invitations are divided into three categories: attendees, speakers, and media. All applicants must submit their industry, job title, contact information, and X (formerly Twitter) account, and will be reviewed by the organizers. Places are non-transferable.

Judging from the announced lineup of speakers, the vast majority of them come from Wall Street and important circles of American politics.

At the financial institutions level, confirmed attendees include Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO David Solomon, Nasdaq Chairman and CEO Adena Friedman, and NYSE President Lynn Martin, covering key nodes in the financial system.

In the asset management and private equity sector, there are long-standing and active traditional capital forces, including Franklin Templeton CEO Jenny Johnson, Third Point founder Daniel Loeb, Altimeter Capital founder Brad Gerstner, and Avenue Capital co-founder Marc Lasry.

In terms of regulation and policy, the current chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Michael Selig, U.S. Senators Bernie Moreno and Ashley Moody, and White House Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg are also on the official list.

Other prominent figures, such as FIFA President Gianni Infantino, Turing Award winner Yoshua Bengio, and Canton Network co-founder Yuval Rooz, were also included in the invitation list.

As the initiator, Trump's two sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., as well as several core members of WLFI, will participate throughout the process.

Compared to previous crypto events held at Mar-a-Lago that primarily featured project owners, industry professionals, and whales, this time, traditional elites took their seats at the crypto head table.

This change may be closely related to WLFI's ongoing strategic adjustments in recent months.

From WLFI's compliance efforts, such as pursuing a National Trust Bank license, to its plans to launch the lending platform World Liberty Markets and prepare the "digital dollar gateway" WLFI App, and its continued efforts to expand the real-world use cases and market size of the stablecoin USD1, WLFI is attempting to play the role of a serious DeFi player in order to strengthen its infrastructure potential in the trend of convergence between TradeFi (traditional finance) and crypto.

It's worth noting that WLFI recently opened a special channel for WLFI contributors. Applicants need to submit their holdings and contributions in WLFI or the stablecoin USD1, and the official team will conduct eligibility review and screening.

Unlike previous models that simply required paying real money for entry, this time a hybrid system of "contribution + review" is preferred. To some extent, this provides community members with a channel to join the Trump family meeting. Currently, some users are already proactively sharing their contribution posts in an attempt to gain entry.

Testing the waters, forging alliances, and raising funds: The Trump family's crypto stronghold

Prior to this, the "Winter White House," covering an area of ​​approximately 80,000 square meters, had already become a secret meeting place for the Trump family and crypto leaders.

Back in 2023, Trump invited holders of his NFTs to meet with him. This seemingly fan-oriented gathering was seen by many observers as a turning point, marking the first time Trump publicly discussed and promoted crypto investment to a clearly defined group of supporters.

In May 2024, Trump hosted a crypto-themed event at Mar-a-Lago, where some crypto industry supporters pledged financial support for his campaign. Subsequently, his campaign team officially began accepting cryptocurrency donations, and crypto gradually shifted from a symbolic political gesture to a practical fundraising tool.

A month later, Trump hosted several executives from Bitcoin mining companies at Mar-a-Lago and publicly stated that if he returned to the White House, he would provide policy support to the mining community. Bloomberg noted at the time that Bitcoin miners were a significant source of support for Trump's campaign.

Months later, on election night, several 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, which was also seen as the true beginning of a crypto-friendly era.

In January 2025, executives from several leading crypto companies, including Crypto.com, Ripple, and Coinbase, traveled to Mar-a-Lago to exchange views with the Trump team on policy direction and regulatory frameworks, and made large donations to their political organizations.

In May 2025, Trump hosted a private dinner at Mar-a-Lago for the top 220 holders of the Meme cryptocurrency $TRUMP. Attendees included Tron founder Justin Sun and former NBA player Lamar Odom, among others. The event attracted approximately $148 million in funding.

From this perspective, Mar-a-Lago has witnessed the entire process of the crypto industry's rise from humble beginnings to mainstream status, from early supporter gatherings to campaign finance, policy statements, and regulatory communication.