Key takeaways

Political memecoins, or PolitiFi coins, are satirical and speculative tokens inspired by politicians, elections and political events, often used to express support or mock figures.

These coins can reach billion-dollar market caps quickly, with examples like TRUMP and MELANIA seeing massive surges in trading volume around political milestones.

Political memecoins are launched on blockchains like Ethereum and Solana, relying on hype and speculation rather than intrinsic value, making them highly volatile.

Investors use tools like MemeCoinTracker and launchpads like Pump.fun. It is fun to identify new political memecoins before they gain traction.

President Donald Trump’s return to the White House has triggered a curious phenomenon — political memecoins. These digital assets, often humorous and satirical, emerge from the intersection of politics and cryptocurrencies. Memecoins may have market caps running into billions, which reflects the kind of fancy they generate.

What exactly are these political memecoins, and how do they work? This beginner’s guide on political memecoins discusses various aspects of political memecoins, including how to avoid fake political memecoins and buy genuine ones, if interested.

Whether you are a crypto enthusiast or a politically engaged citizen, understanding political memecoins will help you navigate this evolving digital frontier.

What are political memecoins?

Political memecoins, or PolitiFi coins, are a category of memecoins inspired by political figures, events and views. These tokens serve as a hybrid of satire and speculation, allowing users to interact with political narratives via cryptocurrencies.

These memecoins reflect users’ support for a candidate, often expressing humor or a touch of rebellion. Their political undertone resonates strongly with online communities. They foster collaboration and interaction within political communities, creating a playful and inclusive atmosphere due to their inherent social and political nature.

As part of broader meme culture, some political memecoins can also function as valuable digital collectibles. They tend to have sudden bursts of popularity that capture a specific moment, creating nostalgic value for investors. Political memecoins also allow holders to donate to political campaigns or participate in the platform’s governance decisions, similar to other cryptocurrencies.

Although the concept of political memecoins is in its early stages, it can transform political financing by offering greater transparency. It makes donations to political campaigns easier for smaller donors, thus contributing to a country’s political system.

Did you know? Dogecoin, the first memecoin, originated in December 2013 as a lighthearted joke inspired by a popular internet meme.

Examples of political memecoins

Several political memecoins have been in the limelight, intersecting politics, finance and internet culture. These coins mocked politicians, phrases or significant events, transforming political language into a speculative asset.

Political memecoins often appear in response to real-world political events. For example, following the 2024 Trump assassination attempt, several memecoins arose:

ConstitutionDAO (PEOPLE): It was initially created as the governance token for a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that aimed to purchase a copy of the US Constitution at auction. Although the DAO’s bid was unsuccessful and the project was discontinued, the token remains in circulation.

TRUMP: It was launched by Donald Trump just three days before returning to the White House on Jan. 20. While more than 90 Trump-related memecoins exist as of Feb. 2, TRUMP stands out as the president endorses it. Within 48 hours after launch, the price of TRUMP soared to over $75, and its market capitalization was more than $14 billion, though it dropped as low as $40 by the morning of Trump’s inauguration.

MELANIA: This was followed by MELANIA, launched by US First Lady Melania Trump, as an engaging digital collectible (according to the official website). On Jan. 20, the market cap of MELANIA reached $2.13 billion, and over 45,450 crypto wallets bought the token, according to DEXScreener data.

MAGA: It was launched to raise funds for US veterans and child trafficking prevention. You could buy MAGA with Ether or Solana on DEXs.

Doland Tremp (TREMP) and Kamala Horris (KAMA): The run-up to the US election witnessed a surge in political memecoins. These include Doland Tremp (TREMP) and Kamala Horris (KAMA), a fun twist in the names of 2024 US election contenders.

Jeo Boden (BODEN): It is a memecoin inspired by Joe Biden, featuring a Spiderman comic depiction of the former president and used in memes and political commentary.

Memecoins on Queen Elizabeth: After the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, dozens of memecoins cropped up. These coins had names like “RIP Queen Elizabeth,” “God Save The Queen,” “Queen Doge,” “Elizabeth II,” “London Bridge Is Down,” and “Queen Inu II.” The Elizabeth token saw $6.1 million in trade volume on BSC-based PancakeSwap.

Token on King Charles: When King Charles took over, the “Rise Of The King” token (KING) hopped around 200% between Sept. 6 and Sept. 9, 2024, on Uniswap.

Did you know? Following the success of Dogecoin, Shiba Inu emerged in August 2020. Created by an anonymous developer known as Ryoshi, this cryptocurrency capitalized on Dogecoin’s popularity and featured the same Shiba Inu dog breed.

How do political memecoins work?

Political memecoins are usually developed by politically motivated groups or anonymous developers to capitalize on public sentiment, social media trends or election results. Unlike standard cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin or Ether, political memecoins have little value or utility beyond speculative trading.

Political memecoins are often launched on Ethereum, Base, Solana and BNB Smart Chain blockchains. In essence, the underlying blockchain must support smart contracts. Moreover, as memecoins tend to have sudden surges and falls, they require blockchains that can support rapid transaction speeds and are scalable. Ethereum’s ERC-20 and Solana’s SPL token standards enable developers to produce these memecoins efficiently. Also, memecoin generators like Pump.fun allow anyone to generate and launch tokens in minutes with no coding skills required.

Investors in memecoins may profit from speculative trading, purchasing these tokens early and selling at a higher price as hype drives demand. In contrast, ordinary traders capitalize on short-term volatility.

However, an inherent risk in memecoins is insiders trying to profit from pump-and-dump tactics. While memecoins may have a period of a sharp surge, often right after the launch, enabling users to make quick money, liquidity may soon dry up if interest drops.

While holding political memecoins might be entertaining and enjoyable, they are primarily speculative assets that feed on excitement, and investors should invest with caution.

How to find political memecoins before they go viral?

To make productive investments in political memecoins, you must pick them before going viral. Adequate research and active community participation help you unearth these memecoins ahead of the curve:

Track pre-pumping activity: Use tools to monitor wallet movements and determine where whales, the large investors, are placing their bets. This might signal where the markets are heading. Tools like MemeCoinTracker and DexScan are used to monitor key parameters such as holder statistics and token burns, which help discover early trends regarding memecoins.

Explore launchpads: Political memecoins usually spring up from isolated launchpads before going mainstream. Platforms like Pump.fun and MemePad provide early access to new memecoins. Monitoring these launchpads might help you identify potential viral political memecoins.

Follow influencers and thought leaders: Crypto influencers play a role in the success of political memecoins. Keeping an eye on influencers will help you evaluate sentiments regarding memecoins.

Engage with crypto communities: Reddit, X, TikTok, Discord servers and Telegram groups are popular forums for early memecoin conversations. Subreddits like r/CryptoMoonShots and trendy hashtags like #NewCrypto frequently reveal hotshot projects. On these platforms, you can measure community enthusiasm around a specific coin.

Did you know? After a downturn in late 2021, a token inspired by the popular Pepe the Frog meme, sparked renewed interest in memecoins in 2023.

How to buy political memecoins?

Usually, you can buy political memecoins on a centralized exchange that has listed them, the official website of the memecoin or a compatible decentralized exchange (DEX).

To buy a political memecoin on a centralized exchange, you need to deposit fiat into the funding section of the exchange that you can use to buy the memecoin. Alternatively, you may swap any cryptocurrency you might be holding with the memecoin.

You might also visit the memecoin’s website and complete the purchase through a payment service they might have partnered with.

The third option is to visit a DEX like Uniswap and find a suitable pair with the memecoin. Connect the DEX with your wallet and swap the memecoin.

How to avoid fake political memecoins?

Every time political memecoins go viral, many fake memecoins emerge as well. Behind these fake memecoins are promoters looking to make money at the cost of unsuspecting supporters or fans.

For instance, the launch of the official TRUMP memecoin was followed by a wave of scams in the cryptocurrency market, with 6,800 fake tokens and 91 fraudulent DApps quickly emerging.

These included an unaffiliated memecoin named after Barron, Trump’s youngest son. This coin quickly surged in value but subsequently crashed. Ivanka Trump, the president’s eldest daughter, warned investors about a fake memecoin IVANKA.

This is what you need to avoid fake political memecoins:

Request for sensitive information: Scammers often use fraudulent websites that offer free tokens to acquire private keys or seed phrases. Never reveal personal wallet information; double-check that you are visiting official websites.

Check social media posts: Scammers might hack celebrities’ social media accounts to promote their fake tokens. Having blind faith in celebrity posts might backfire. You must double-check the veracity of posts before making any investment decisions.

Phishing scams: Fraudsters may send phishing emails to steal critical information, such as private keys. Avoid unsolicited messages and only communicate with verified sources.

Honeypot tokens: Don’t fall for tokens you can buy but not sell, or you won’t be able to get your money back. Some scam tokens allow purchases but not sales, locking up investors. Check liquidity conditions before purchasing to avoid such honeypot schemes.

Unverified exchange listings: Avoid using little-known crypto exchanges that might be unregulated. Fraudulent tokens frequently surface on such platforms, raising the possibility of financial loss. Stick to trustworthy exchangers that have strict security measures in place.

Misleading token contracts: Fake political memecoins might have namesake tickers but no official affiliation with the related candidate or party. Before investing, verify the token contract address to avoid fraudulent schemes.

Can memecoins make you rich?

Nothing in this world can guarantee quick wealth, and memecoins are no exception.

While some investors have made substantial profits, most have lost money due to their extreme volatility. Memecoins rely on hype, social media trends and community-driven speculation rather than intrinsic value.

Unlike stocks, which represent ownership in a company with earnings potential, or bonds, which provide fixed returns, memecoins have no fundamental backing. Even compared to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ether (ETH), which have established use cases, memecoins are highly unpredictable.

For every success story, there are countless failures — such as the Squid Game Token, which skyrocketed before crashing to zero.

Moreover, timing plays a crucial role (such as in gambling), but predicting market sentiment is nearly impossible. Sustainable wealth is typically built through disciplined investing in diversified assets rather than putting all your eggs in one basket.

Thus, memecoins may provide short-term excitement but should not be relied upon as a path to long-term financial success.

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