An evening marketed as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dine with former President Donald Trump turned into a sobering lesson in disillusionment for crypto investors. Social media influencer Nicholas Pinto, who poured over $360,000 into Trump’s memecoin to earn his invite to the exclusive “Unforgettable Gala Dinner,” left the event hungry, disillusioned, and without ever speaking to the man himself.
The event, held at Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Virginia, was billed as a reward for the top 220 holders of Trump’s $TRUMP cryptocurrency—promising a rare evening with the 47th president. Instead, attendees were served what Pinto described to Fortune as “Walmart steak” and were largely shut out of any direct access to Trump. “Trash,” he texted during the meal. “Everyone at my table said it was the worst food they ever had.”
Critics say the event exemplified transactional politics at its most brazen: a $148 million pay-for-access scheme under the guise of a celebration. According to Inca Digital, that’s the total amount spent by attendees to qualify for the dinner based on their $TRUMP holdings. Yet access to Trump was minimal, the experience underwhelming, and the fanfare hollow.
This was no outlier. The event’s surrounding spectacle revealed the darker undercurrents of Trump’s growing entanglement with crypto, power, and personal branding. Attendee profiles ranged from Instagram influencers to international crypto billionaires. Pinto, who ranked No. 72 among token holders, arrived in a 2023 Lamborghini—an industry cliché—after spray-painting his $150,000 Mercedes G-Wagon with the $TRUMP logo.
But behind the garish wealth displays and black-tie optics was a hollow spectacle. Attendees, many of whom expected personal interaction with Trump, were left orbiting his presence with no engagement. Not even Caitlin Sinclair, the dinner’s host and an OANN news anchor, secured a photo. According to Pinto, even she said, “Trump didn’t give me a picture.”
Outside the venue, the discontent wasn’t limited to steak quality. Protesters led by Public Citizen gathered in defiance, chanting “shame” and holding signs condemning what they called “the most corrupt innovation in modern American political fundraising.” Co-president Robert Weissman told Fortune that “Trump’s crypto businesses constitute one of the most corrupt innovations in American political history” (source).
And the food? A field greens salad and a sad “entrée duet” of filet mignon and halibut. The only thing Pinto praised was “the bread and the butter.”
Pinto, who became a millionaire at 13 through a scooter wheel startup and now commands 2.6 million Instagram followers, wasn’t just angry—he was stunned. “The president’s speech was pretty much bullshit,” he said, explaining how it offered little insight or enthusiasm, and no acknowledgment of the massive financial commitment made by attendees.
The irony is bitter: an event supposedly meant to thank Trump’s most dedicated backers turned into a gaudy cash-grab in a tuxedo. The promise of exclusive access became an illusion. The reality was a buffet of disappointment—served cold, with stale bread and tepid applause.
As the gala wrapped and Pinto headed to a crypto after-party on D.C.’s Capitol Hill, he and his father stopped to find real food. “Still hungry,” he said. Have a plate of maggots, you MAGAts.