Martin Shkreli, infamously known as “Pharma Bro,” claims he played a role in creating the Solana-based token DJT, which has sparked significant speculation due to rumors of its connection to Donald Trump’s son.
During an X Spaces session on June 18, Shkreli disclosed that he was “helping a friend” when the token was launched in April. He mentioned that around 10 people were directly involved in its creation and that 40 to 50 people were aware of it. He also reportedly cited Donald Trump’s son, Barron Trump, as being among those who knew about the token, though he did not guarantee the Trump family’s support.
This revelation came just four hours after Arkham Intelligence announced a $150,000 bounty for identifying the creator of DJT. Arkham posted the bounty following Shkreli’s acceptance of a $100 million bet with prominent crypto trader GCR on whether the DJT token was “fake.”
“Fuck it, we ball. $150,000 to the first person to definitively prove the identity of the creator of $DJT,” Arkham posted on X on June 18.
The bounty notice specified, “Find definitive evidence of the creator of $DJT. We will accept private proof for this bounty, but if accepted, that proof will be made public.” High-profile blockchain investigator ZachXBT was among those who submitted evidence, which he suggested influenced Shkreli’s decision to host the X Spaces session.
The Mystery Continues: Did Trump Launch DJT?
Speculation Grows: Did Trump Launch DJT?
Across the internet, people are still placing bets on whether the DJT token was launched by Trump or a member of his family.
On decentralized betting platform Polymarket, there’s now nearly $1.9 million riding on the question of whether the DJT token is “real.”
Only 17% of the total bets were placed in the “Yes” camp, and that number fell to 7% following Shkreli’s X Space.
The rumor that Trump is behind the DJT token, allegedly “spearheaded” by his son Barron Trump, originated from a post on X by the tech blog Pirate Wires. The post mentioned “conversations” but did not specify the sources.
When asked for more details, Pirate Wires creator Mike Solana admitted he “didn’t speak with Trump directly” and was “just reporting what I know via sources.”
DJT is currently trading at $0.012, down over 66% from its peak of $0.036 on Tuesday, according to Birdseye.