Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified at a Senate hearing Tuesday where he claimed he “didn’t even know” about an exclusive dinner President Donald Trump is hosting this week for the top 220 holders of his memecoin.
Many of the top 200 holders of TrumpCoin are foreign nationals, according to a Bloomberg report, raising concerns about potential national security implications and foreign influence.
When questioned by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), Rubio claimed it was the first he heard of the event. “I didn’t even know there was a dinner Thursday night,” he said. “So I’m not sure what you’re referring to.”
MURPHY: Let me ask you about the dinner that’s happening this Thursday. The president has offered access to him to the 200 top purchasers of his memecoin. Maybe about half or more of those individuals who will be meeting with him are foreigners. Do you have a list?
RUBIO: I… pic.twitter.com/bMYQokyaQI
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 20, 2025
Murphy pressed on: “So you don’t know whether any of the foreign individuals who are going to be meeting with the president this Thursday are on our sanctioned list or have connections to, let’s say, terrorist organizations abroad?”
Rubio deflected, stating that if such individuals had links to terrorism, the Department of Homeland Security likely wouldn’t have admitted them into the country. “You’re asking me about something I don’t know about. I can’t answer you because I don’t know anything about this dinner.”
“That in and of itself is a problem,” Murphy said, suggesting the event could allow wealthy foreign individuals to bypass normal diplomatic channels and gain direct access to the U.S. president.
Rubio dismissed the concerns, calling it “not unusual” for the president to have friendships or meetings with private individuals, foreign or domestic. “I don’t have any concern that the president having dinner with someone is going to contravene the national security of the United States.”
Trump’s involvement in crypto has come under increased scrutiny during his second term, which he and First Lady Melania Trump kicked off with the release of their own memecoins. In March, Trump signed an executive order establishing a “Crypto Strategic Reserve.” Additionally, the president and his sons hold the owning stake of World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency firm that is set to receive a $2 billion investment from Abu-Dhabi this year.
According to a report from State Democracy Defenders Action, the Trump family has profited $2.9 billion from cryptocurrency during the past six months alone.
The White House maintains that the Trump Organization is managed by Trump’s sons and its business ventures and investments create no conflicts of interest for the president. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed concerns prior to Trump’s tour of the Middle East, which centered on business deals.
“I think it’s frankly ridiculous that anyone in this room would even suggest that President Trump is doing anything for his own benefit,” she said.
Originally published on Latin Times
