Forbes has criticized Eric Trump for his Bitcoin venture, American Bitcoin (ABTC), accusing it of exploiting MAGA investors. The company, founded in 2025 and quickly listed on Nasdaq, was promoted as a lucrative opportunity but functioned mainly as an arbitrage tool. Despite Eric Trump's claims of leadership in the Bitcoin sector, the firm relied heavily on marketing rather than solid operations. American Bitcoin's valuation soared to $13.2 billion, leveraging the Trump brand and Bitcoin hype. However, the company sold shares at inflated prices to buy Bitcoin, enriching insiders like Eric Trump, whose wealth increased from $190 million to $280 million. Meanwhile, ordinary investors, particularly MAGA supporters, faced severe losses as the stock price plummeted by 92% over eight months, resulting in $500 million in losses. Forbes questioned the firm's mining profitability and suggested it was primarily using the Trump brand to offload overvalued shares.