Trump’s Real Estate Empire Targets Blockchain With WLFI as Family Unveils Tokenization and Crypto Debit Card Plans

Trump Properties, Tokenized Assets, and Stablecoin Controversy Collide in New Blockchain Push

TL;DR

• World Liberty Financial (WLFI) aims to tokenize Donald Trump’s $1.2 billion real estate portfolio, potentially raising up to $1 billion.
• Trump’s family-backed venture is developing a crypto debit card while expanding into commodities and stablecoins.
• The project faces scrutiny over a $2 billion Abu Dhabi investment in WLFI’s USD1 stablecoin and regulatory concerns.

World Liberty Financial, a venture tied to the Trump family, is preparing to bring segments of Donald Trump’s sprawling real estate empire on-chain. At the center of the plan is a tokenization project that could transform iconic properties such as Trump Tower into digital assets available to retail investors. WLFI co-founder Zak Folkman described the approach as a way to harness blockchain rails for efficiency and broader access, stressing that the company is eyeing not only real estate but also commodities like oil, gas, cotton, and timber. The pitch emphasizes democratization of high-value assets that have traditionally remained in the hands of billionaires and institutional investors.

The real estate portfolio under discussion is valued at approximately $1.2 billion, with scenarios ranging from conservative to aggressive. A modest allocation of 10 to 20 percent of assets could unlock between $120 million and $240 million, generating steady annual yields in the low millions while leaving Trump with majority control. A more ambitious path involving 50 percent or greater tokenization could raise $600 million to nearly $1 billion, alongside yearly returns projected in the tens of millions. WLFI executives frame the strategy as a new blueprint for tokenizing real-world assets, a space that continues to capture attention across the global crypto price index.

Announced at Token 2049, WLFI’s latest expansion includes the development of a crypto debit card designed to link tokenized property investments with everyday payments. The project was presented by CEO Zach Witkoff, son of Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, alongside Donald Trump Jr. Witkoff’s presentation pushed the narrative further with examples like tokenized ownership of Trump Tower Dubai, highlighting how individual tokens could open access to Class A real estate typically restricted to large real estate investment trusts. A pilot program for the debit card is expected to begin within the next quarter, with a wider rollout targeted for late 2025 or early 2026.

WLFI’s ambitions extend beyond tokenized real estate. Earlier this year, the company launched USD1, a dollar-pegged stablecoin positioned as a modernized U.S. dollar for blockchain-era use. The move attracted attention in May when Abu Dhabi–backed firm MGX committed a $2 billion investment in USD1 via Binance, effectively channeling significant liquidity into the coin market cap. That deal sparked pushback from lawmakers, with Senators Elizabeth Warren and Jeff Merkley describing the arrangement as “a staggering conflict of interest,” arguing that it risked enabling foreign corruption to flow into American politics and profit structures tied to the Trump and Witkoff families.

Despite WLFI’s narrative of democratizing access to real assets, the rollout has not been without challenges. The WLFI token, made public just weeks before the Token 2049 announcement, stumbled on its first day of trading, with its crypto price dropping sharply. Analysts note that price volatility, regulatory scrutiny, and political entanglements add layers of risk to a project already blending real estate, commodities, and payments infrastructure. For WLFI, the strategy combines real-world asset tokenization with crypto rails at a time when the industry is experimenting with bridging physical and digital finance, a balancing act that will likely remain under close watch as both market and political conditions shift.

This article has been refined and enhanced by ChatGPT.