Crypto Coins, Political Grifts, and Why Your Investment Instincts Are Being Exploited
The Pattern Never Changes, Only the Players Do
I have been doing this for over two decades. I warned about Enron. I warned about Madoff. I helped victims of boiler room operators rebuild their accounts through our account repair kit at Markowski Investments. And every single time, the mechanism is the same. Someone gets you to believe, and once you believe, logic goes out the window.
That is not a coincidence. That is a strategy.
The latest chapter in this story involves crypto coins, political celebrity, and what I would call the most brazen financial grift I have seen in my entire career. And before you click away because you think I am going after one political side, understand this: my job is not politics. My job is protecting your money.
Why Meme Coins Are Not Investments
Back around 2015 and 2016, I was making jokes on this program about creating my own coin. Watchdog Bucks. I was being sarcastic. The fact that Kim Kardashian ended up with her own coin proved the joke was actually a warning.
Here is the fundamental problem with meme coins and celebrity-backed crypto assets:
- They carry zero underlying value tied to earnings, assets, or productive output
- They are driven entirely by manufactured hype and social proof
- The people promoting them almost always have a massive financial stake in your buy-in
- By the time retail investors hear about them, insiders have already positioned themselves to profit from your purchase
This is not speculation on my part. This is how these instruments are structured.
The Trump Coin Situation Deserves Honest Analysis
I know this will upset some people. I do not care. My obligation is to the truth, not to making anyone feel comfortable about a bad financial decision.
A sitting president launched a crypto coin before his inauguration. People who trusted him, people who voted for him, purchased that coin. The numbers being discussed suggest approximately 3.8 billion dollars worth of this coin was sold to the public. If you put ten thousand dollars into Trump coin or Melania coin at or near launch, that position is now worth something in the neighborhood of three hundred dollars.
When I hear commentators on financial television say things like, well, all crypto is speculative, so this is fine, I want to be very direct: that is a lie of omission. You know better. The people saying this know better. Speculation does not justify using political trust and voter loyalty as a marketing mechanism to extract billions from supporters.
Calling that capitalism is an insult to capitalism.
What This Tells Us About Where We Are
The education system, the mainstream financial press, and in some cases the government itself have failed to give ordinary Americans the tools to recognize financial manipulation. That is not an accident, and it is not new.
- Celebrity endorsement is not a financial thesis
- Political loyalty is not a reason to buy an asset
- If the upside story sounds emotional rather than analytical, walk away
I have covered every major financial fraud of the last quarter century. The details change. The psychology does not. Someone finds a way to make you feel like you are part of something, like you are going to miss out, like the people warning you are the enemy.
What You Should Actually Do
Stop letting your beliefs do your investing for you. This applies regardless of who you voted for, who you admire, or what narrative you find compelling.
- Demand transparent fee structures and understand who profits when you buy
- Apply the same skepticism to exciting assets that you would apply to a stranger asking for your wallet
- Understand that volatility and speculation are not the same thing as opportunity
- Work with advisors who have documented track records and a legal fiduciary obligation to you
The receipts are always there if you go looking for them. I have been putting mine out for twenty four years. The question is whether people will look before they lose their money, or after.