What Is MELANIA Coin? Price, Political Meme Token and How to Buy

The best exchanges to buy MELANIA in 2026 include Phemex, Kraken, Coinbase, Crypto.com, and MEXC.

On January 19, 2025, one day before her husband's presidential inauguration, First Lady Melania Trump posted on X: "The Official Melania Meme is live! You can buy $MELANIA now." Within hours, the Solana-based token surged over 21,000% and briefly reached an implied market cap above $8 billion. It also pulled enough liquidity from the Official Trump coin to crash TRUMP by 30-40% in a single day. The demand was so extreme that Phantom Wallet reported 8 million requests per minute and Solana's infrastructure providers flagged severe degradation.

As of February 2026, MELANIA trades around $0.12 to $0.19, down roughly 98% from its all-time high of $13.73. The token has a market cap near $120 to $190 million (depending on the day), a circulating supply of approximately 952 million out of 1 billion total, and roughly 245,000 holders. A class-action lawsuit filed in October 2025 alleges the team ran a pump-and-dump scheme, and blockchain analytics have documented $35 million+ in insider token sales across 44 wallets.

This is not a typical meme coin overview. The controversy is as much a part of the story as the price action.

How Did MELANIA Launch?

MELANIA was developed by MKT World LLC, a Florida-based company established by Melania Trump in 2021 and registered at the same address as the Trump Organization.

The token was minted on the Solana blockchain on October 18, 2024, using the contract address FUAfBo2jgks6gB4Z4LfZkqSZgzNucisEHqnNebaRxM1P, but it was not publicly announced until January 19, 2025.

The timing was calculated. Donald Trump had launched his own Official Trump (TRUMP) meme coin just two days earlier on January 17, and it was riding a wave of inaugural hype. MELANIA's launch immediately cannibalized that momentum. Traders rotated capital from TRUMP to MELANIA, crashing the former while pumping the latter. Crypto commentators called it the "Family Feud" liquidity drain.

Several red flags emerged quickly. Blockchain analytics firm Bubblemaps reported that nearly 90% of MELANIA's supply was held in a single wallet at launch, contradicting the stated token distribution on the project's website. Critics also noted that the melaniameme.com domain was registered just one day before the public announcement. Pre-launch trading reportedly generated $99.6 million in profits for early insiders.

Hayden Davis, a controversial crypto entrepreneur also linked to the LIBRA token scandal involving Argentine President Javier Milei, has been identified as a key figure behind MELANIA's launch infrastructure. An Argentine lawyer is seeking an Interpol red notice for Davis's arrest.

What Are MELANIA's Tokenomics?

The tokenomics are the core problem with MELANIA as a trade. At launch, only about 192 million tokens (19%) were circulating. The remaining 81% was locked with the team, treasury, and community fund allocations that all ultimately sit under team control. By early 2026, team tokens have nearly fully vested, meaning the sell pressure that destroyed the price over the past year is largely structural.

On-chain investigator Lookonchain documented that the team sold 82.18 million MELANIA (8.22% of total supply) over a four-month period across 44 separate wallets, netting 244,934 SOL (roughly $35.7 million). Most of these sales were disguised as liquidity additions and removals rather than open market sell orders. Bubblemaps separately identified $2 million liquidity extractions using single-sided liquidity tactics, the same method used to extract $100 million from the LIBRA token.

MELANIA Price History

The January 2026 rally is worth noting. MELANIA surged 50% in early January, outperforming even the TRUMP token, driven by anticipation around a Melania Trump documentary premiering at the Kennedy Center and launching on Amazon Prime Video. This shows that political event catalysts can still move the token, even at current depressed levels. Open interest jumped 85% during that period.

How Does MELANIA Compare to TRUMP Coin?

Both tokens share the same fundamental problem: the vast majority of supply is controlled by entities connected to the Trump family. The difference is scale. TRUMP has maintained a larger market cap partly because its lock-up schedule is longer and the political brand is stronger. MELANIA's more aggressive vesting and documented insider selling have eroded holder confidence faster.

What Are the Risks?

Insider selling. This is not theoretical risk. On-chain data confirms $35 million+ in team sales through disguised liquidity operations. With 95% of supply now unlocked, additional selling can happen at any time.

Legal proceedings. A class-action lawsuit filed in October 2025 alleges a pump-and-dump scheme. The legal outcome is uncertain, but the suit's existence creates headline risk that can trigger selloffs.

Post-presidency obsolescence. Melania Trump has historically maintained a low public profile outside the White House. When Trump's term ends in 2029, the political relevance driving attention to this token will likely disappear. Meme coins tied to fading public figures rarely survive.

No utility. The official website states MELANIA is for "collecting and entertainment purposes only" and is "not a financial instrument or investment." There is no protocol, no governance, no staking, and no roadmap.

PolitiFi rotation risk. New political tokens can cannibalize MELANIA's attention overnight, just as MELANIA cannibalized TRUMP on launch day.

How Do You Buy MELANIA on Phemex?

MELANIA is available on centralized exchanges:

Buying MELANIA on Phemex:

Step 1: Create your Phemex account and complete verification.

Step 2: Deposit USDT via credit/debit card, bank transfer, or P2P trading.

Step 3: Navigate to the MELANIA price page to check live price and recent trends. From there, go to spot trading and search MELANIA/USDT.

Step 4: Place your order. Given MELANIA's volatility, limit orders at support levels reduce the risk of buying into a spike. Market orders work for quick entries but expect slippage during high-volume periods.

Phemex offers additional tools that pair well with volatile meme coin trading. Trading Bots can run grid strategies during range-bound phases. Copy Trading connects you to 17,000+ experienced traders for strategy ideas. All user assets are backed by monthly Proof of Reserves with Merkle Tree verification and 70%+ cold storage through Fireblocks.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is MELANIA coin in simple terms?

The official meme coin of First Lady Melania Trump, launched on Solana on January 19, 2025. It has no utility beyond trading and collecting. The team behind it has sold tens of millions of dollars worth of tokens since launch.

Is MELANIA a good investment?

The on-chain evidence makes this a difficult token to hold with confidence. Team insiders have sold $35 million+ through disguised transactions, a class-action lawsuit is pending, and 98% of value has been destroyed since ATH. If you trade it, treat it as a short-term speculative position tied to political news catalysts, not a long-term hold.

How is MELANIA different from the TRUMP coin?

Both are Solana-based political meme coins launched days apart by the Trump family. MELANIA has a smaller market cap (~$150M vs ~$3B), a more aggressive team vesting schedule, and documented insider selling. TRUMP has a larger lock-up and stronger political brand recognition.

Is MELANIA on Solana?

Yes. MELANIA is an SPL token on Solana. The official contract address is FUAfBo2jgks6gB4Z4LfZkqSZgzNucisEHqnNebaRxM1P. When withdrawing from an exchange, select the Solana network.

Why did MELANIA pump in January 2026?

Hype around a Melania Trump documentary premiering at the Kennedy Center and launching on Amazon Prime Video. Open interest jumped 85% and the token rallied 50%. Political event catalysts can still move this token despite the broader downtrend.

Bottom Line

MELANIA is the most controversial entry in the political meme coin genre. It carries the First Lady's explicit endorsement and has generated real trading volume, but the on-chain record tells a troubling story of insider selling, disguised liquidity extractions, and tokenomics that overwhelmingly favor the team over retail holders.

The January 2026 documentary rally shows MELANIA can still move on political catalysts. For traders who understand the risks and can time entries around specific events, there are opportunities. But with 98% of value already destroyed, a pending lawsuit, and a token structure designed to benefit insiders, this is about as high-risk as crypto trading gets.

This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Political meme coins are extremely high-risk, speculative assets. MELANIA has documented insider selling and a pending class-action lawsuit. Only trade with capital you can afford to lose completely.