Joe Biden's Son's LAPTOP Memecoin Shunned Before Its First Trade

Hunter Biden, son of former U.S. President Joe Biden, is set to launch a memecoin called LAPTOP on Base this Wednesday. Its airdrop is intended to benefit investors who lost money on Donald Trump's TRUMP token. However, even before its first exchange, the project is already facing sharp criticism. Several figures mentioned around the launch have distanced themselves from it.

In brief

• The token is set to launch on Base on September 9, with 30% of the supply reserved for founders and 20% allocated for airdrops.
• Kraken has removed a promotional post, while Coinbase denies any partnership.
• Andrew Callaghan, also mentioned in the project, claims to have no connection to the memecoin.

An airdrop for the losers of TRUMP

Hunter Biden confirmed the launch on X on September 7 with a particularly brief message: " $LAPTOP, September 9". The project is to be deployed on Base, Coinbase's network, with a total supply of one billion tokens, according to information published by the Wall Street Journal.

The founders, including Hunter Biden, are set to retain 30% of the tokens. These tokens will be locked for six months before being gradually released over more than two years. The 20% reserved for airdrops will be distributed in two waves.

The first wave will particularly target traders who lost money with the TRUMP memecoin. The second will involve Biden's Substack subscribers as well as those on journalist Andrew Callaghan's list, CoinDesk reports.

The choice of this target is far from trivial. The TRUMP token was worth about $2.25 on September 8, nearly 97% below its record reached in January 2025. Its market cap had briefly approached $15 billion at that time.

The LAPTOP project also plans to burn up to 30% of the supply under certain circumstances, including a Democratic victory in 2028, a new historical record for Bitcoin, or a valuation exceeding that of TRUMP. If these conditions are not met, the affected tokens would be donated to charity.

Kraken, Base, and Channel 5 distance themselves

Reputation has fled before the product. Kraken removed a post presenting the project after a wave of negative reactions. Some users criticized the platform for promoting a new political memecoin.

However, this does not mean that Kraken has given up on a potential listing. For his part, Jordan Fish, known by the pseudonym Cobie and responsible for the Base app, reminded that a project can launch a token on the network without obtaining Coinbase's approval. He clarified that there is no partnership with LAPTOP.

Jesse Pollak, founder of Base, also indicated that the memecoin team had contacted the network before its launch. However, Base chose not to participate in its design or promotion.

Andrew Callaghan also denied any link with LAPTOP to the Wall Street Journal. Channel 5, the media he leads, is not involved in the project and does not consider cryptocurrencies a legitimate investment.

The political memecoin market changes tone

The contrast with the launch of TRUMP in January 2025 is striking. At that time, there were many criticisms, but they did not prevent investors from flocking in. Nearly two years later, platforms seem much more cautious when it comes to associating their image with this type of project.

However, the reaction on X will not be enough to determine the success of LAPTOP. The token still faces the real test: its arrival on the market.

Copies bearing the name LAPTOP are already circulating on several networks, including one that has been present on Base since June. Without an official contract address, any LAPTOP token traded before the announced launch on September 9 should therefore be regarded with the utmost caution.

The initial volumes, the distribution of airdrops, and the platforms' attitudes will help gauge the project's real reception. One thing is already clear: two years after the euphoria surrounding political memecoins, the ground is significantly less favorable.