Intro

This chapter explores the quirky and contentious aspects of World Liberty Financial's DeFi projects, particularly one associated with the president's sons. With a humorous tone, the speakers discuss the generational gap in wealth through cryptocurrencies and the strange dynamics of the current financial landscape.

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Episode notes

Altcoin froth meets political theater. The team dissects World Liberty Financial’s explosive debut: a $22B token backed by the Trump family, a disputed Aave partnership, insider buybacks, and a “gold paper” instead of a whitepaper. We break down Justin Sun’s role, why critics call it crypto’s “garbage moat,” and how WLFi could become the Thanksgiving dinner debate of 2025. Plus: Gavin Newsom’s meme coin tease, GDP data going on-chain, and the CFTC reopening U.S. markets to global exchanges.

Welcome to The Chopping Block – where crypto insiders Haseeb Qureshi, Tom Schmidt, Tarun Chitra, and Robert Leshner chop it up about the latest in crypto. This week, the crew dives into the wild debut of World Liberty Financial — Trump’s $22B DeFi token that launched with a “gold paper,” insider allocations, and buybacks despite no product. We break down the Trump family’s $5B paper fortune, the disputed Aave deal, and whether WLFi is a serious stablecoin project or just another garbage fire in crypto’s moat. From Justin Sun’s backing to Thanksgiving dinner debates, we unpack what WLFi means for politics, memes, and markets. Then we zoom out to Gavin Newsom’s meme coin tease, the U.S. Commerce Department posting GDP on-chain, and fresh CFTC moves that could reshape crypto exchanges and ETFs.

Show highlights

🔹 World Liberty Financial Launch — Debuted at $22B FDV, $6B circulating cap; price fell 34% on day one with $2.5B in trading volume.

🔹 Trump Family Windfall — 22% of WLFi supply + 75% of presale; $440M presale cash and $5.6B in token wealth now exceeds Trump’s real estate.

🔹 The “Gold Paper” — No whitepaper, but a gold paper signed by Trump’s sons; co-founder emeritus title given to Trump himself.

🔹 Aave Deal Denied — WLFi initially promised 7% supply + 20% fees to Aave; governance ratified, then team denied it ever happened. Snapshot vs. “fake news.”

🔹 Token Buybacks — Team began buying back WLFi with $3M despite no sustainable revenue streams; price rallied but raised doubts.

🔹 Justin Sun’s Role — Largest backer, holding >3% of circulating supply; reignites debate over credibility.

🔹 Fastest Growing Stablecoin Claim — USD1 touted as the fastest-growing stablecoin in history; critics call it unsustainable hype.

🔹 Speculative Mania — Hosts compare WLFi to Bored Apes: meme-driven, high valuation, little product substance.

🔹 Garbage in the Living Room — Haseeb: WLFi is “crypto’s garbage moat” breaking into mainstream consciousness.

🔹 Thanksgiving Talking Point — The coin destined to dominate family dinner debates, regardless of legitimacy.

🔹 Gavin’s Meme Coin Response — Newsom teases “Trump Corruption Coin”; Polymarket odds at 36%. Hosts doubt Democrats can meme.

🔹 GDP On-Chain — Dept. of Commerce posts GDP data on 9 blockchains via Chainlink; useful innovation or pointless theater?

🔹 CFTC Path for Foreign Exchanges — Revives FBO registration to re-open US markets to offshore exchanges; Binance/OKX implications.

🔹 ETFs vs. Spot on CME — New rules may allow CME/Nasdaq to sell spot crypto; could undercut ETFs.

🔹 The Everything App Debate — Coinbase, Robinhood, and brokerages converge on offering stocks + crypto. Hosts spar over whether ETFs belong on Coinbase.

Hosts

⭐️Haseeb Qureshi, Managing Partner at Dragonfly

⭐️Robert Leshner, CEO & Co-founder of Superstate

⭐️Tarun Chitra, Managing Partner at Robot Ventures

⭐️Tom Schmidt, General Partner at Dragonfly

Disclosures

Timestamps

00:00 - Liberty Financials & The Chopping Block Intro

01:21 - World Liberty Financial

05:15 - Tokenomics, Buybacks, and WLFI Drama

08:54 - Memecoins, Bored Apes, and Speculation

11:42 - Memecoins vs. Real Products