Hunter Biden Launches $LAPTOP Memecoin, Trolls Trump

Hunter Biden, son of former President Joe Biden, is launching a new memecoin named $LAPTOP, scheduled to debut on September 9. This novelty cryptocurrency, typically driven by social media hype rather than intrinsic value, will trade under the ticker $LAPTOP on the Base network, a platform developed by cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. The total supply of $LAPTOP will be one billion tokens. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, which first broke the news, Biden and other founders will retain 30% of the token supply, with these tokens locked for a period of six months. A significant portion, 20% of the total supply, is earmarked for distribution through two free token giveaways. These giveaways are specifically designed for individuals who incurred losses trading TRUMP, a memecoin previously launched by President Donald Trump in January 2025. Subscribers to Biden's Substack newsletter will also be eligible to receive these tokens. Furthermore, recipients of a mailing list managed by video journalist Andrew Callaghan, a friend of Biden's, will be included in the distribution, although Callaghan has stated he is not involved with the token's rollout.

The launch of $LAPTOP positions Hunter Biden among other high-profile figures who have entered the memecoin space. In January, former New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the NYC Token at a press conference in Times Square. This followed earlier memecoin launches by President Donald Trump and former first lady Melania Trump approximately a year prior. These earlier tokens experienced sharp declines shortly after their introductions and faced accusations of being "rug pulls," a term in the cryptocurrency world describing projects where insiders rapidly sell off substantial holdings, leading to significant investor losses. The $LAPTOP project appears to be an effort to reframe the persistent "laptop controversy" associated with Hunter Biden, transforming the source of online mockery into a digital asset. The controversy dates back to April 2019, when details emerged regarding Biden's laptop, which became a focal point during the 2020 presidential campaign. The decision to launch a memecoin, particularly one referencing "laptop" and directly engaging with the TRUMP memecoin, suggests a strategic move to leverage online trends and potentially generate revenue while addressing past public scrutiny through a contemporary digital medium. The Base network, developed by Coinbase, is known for its focus on scalability and low transaction fees, making it a popular choice for new token launches.