Pump Fun and Kraken remove Hunter Biden meme‑coin promotion
Promotion removed after community outcry
On Monday, crypto platforms Pump Fun and Kraken posted about the upcoming launch of a meme‑coin called $LAPTOP, themed around Hunter Biden’s laptop. The token was set to launch on Wednesday and be tradable on both platforms. Following intense backlash from the crypto community, the posts were deleted.
Key points
- $LAPTOP is a meme‑coin linked to Hunter Biden’s laptop, scheduled to launch on September 9.
- Pump Fun and Kraken promoted the token on Monday and later removed the posts.
- Prominent crypto influencers publicly criticized the coin, calling it a scam and likening the launch to past failed celebrity tokens.
- The Base platform, where $LAPTOP will be issued, said it was approached by Biden’s team but chose to stay hands‑off for political reasons.
- 30 % of the token supply is reported to go to Biden and co‑founders, while 20 % will go to various subscriber lists and traders who lost money on a previous Trump meme‑coin.
Influencer backlash
Crypto personalities such as Ansem (Zion Thomas) and Threadguy labeled the token a scam and warned it would dump low‑cap assets. Rasmr compared the launch to a tragic event. The show “Market Bubble” cancelled a scheduled interview with Biden. Some observers noted hypocrisy because many of these influencers had previously supported other celebrity coins, including one for Donald Trump.
Base platform response
Base creator Jesse Pollak said the team was contacted by Biden’s representatives but decided to stay “hands off” due to politics. Investor Cobie clarified that Base itself is not launching the token and dispelled related rumors. The Wall Street Journal reported the token’s supply allocation and noted that it would be tradable on Pump Fun at 8 a.m. EST on launch day.
Channel 5 disassociation
Channel 5, a YouTube news outlet that often interviews Hunter Biden, stated it has no connection to the coin and will never advertise crypto. The channel also said it removed a subscriber list it had received from Hunter’s team before any emails were sent, a move that attracted criticism.
Background on the laptop theme
The meme‑coin’s name references Hunter Biden’s laptop, which has been the subject of political debate. A 2020 New York Post story claimed the laptop showed corruption, but a later Republican inquiry found no wrongdoing by Joe Biden. Hunter Biden has said he faces significant debt and legal costs, and in 2024 he pleaded guilty to tax charges and was found guilty of illegal gun possession, for which his father issued a pardon.
