Hunter Biden to Launch LAPTOP Meme Coin on Base with Airdrop for TRUMP Token Losers
Hunter Biden confirmed he will launch a Base memecoin called LAPTOP on Sept. 9, with 20% of supply airdropped to wallets that lost money on Trump's TRUMP coin.
Why it matters
The launch represents another high-profile attempt to merge political controversy with memecoin speculation, following Trump's own TRUMP token. The immediate backlash from major crypto platforms and influencers — and the distancing by Base, Coinbase's network, and Channel 5 — suggests significant reputational risk for participants and raises questions about the viability of politically branded tokens.
Where the sources disagree
Token allocation for non-founder, non-airdrop portions
20% for liquidity, exchanges and legal costs; up to 30% for conditional burns
CryptoPotato, BTC-ECHO
30% for prediction mechanism, 10% for liquidity, 5% for treasury, 5% for charity
Bankless
Sources disagree on how the remaining 50% of supply (after 30% founders and 20% airdrops) is divided.
Channel 5 involvement in the airdrop
Mailing list run by Andrew Callaghan qualifies for airdrop
CryptoPotato, Crypto.News
Channel 5 said it had nothing to do with the project
Bankless
The Wall Street Journal reported the airdrop would cover Andrew Callaghan's mailing list, but Channel 5 said it had nothing to do with the project.
Figures that do not reconcile
Found by comparing the numbers in the reports automatically. They are differences, not yet confirmed to be about the same thing.
reported market figure (biden supply)
30%
CryptoPotato
20%
Bankless
CryptoPotato reports 30%, Bankless reports 20% (33% apart).
reported market figure
20%
CryptoPotato
30%
Crypto.News
CryptoPotato reports 20%, Crypto.News reports 30% (33% apart).
reported market figure (founders supply)
20%
Bankless
30%
Crypto.News
Bankless reports 20%, Crypto.News reports 30% (33% apart).
Key facts
Hunter Biden is launching a memecoin called LAPTOP on Base on September 9, 2026.
Reported by CryptoPotato
The token has a total supply of 1 billion.
1,000,000,000 tokensReported by CryptoPotato
The founding team, including Biden, receives 30% of supply, locked for six months.
30 %Disputed figureReported by CryptoPotato
20% of supply is reserved for airdrops targeting TRUMP token losers, Substack subscribers, and a mailing list.
20 %Disputed figureReported by CryptoPotato
The Wall Street Journal first reported the plan on the morning of September 8.
Reported by CryptoPotato
Biden confirmed the launch on his verified X account about four minutes after the Journal's report.
Reported by CryptoPotato
Pump Fun and Kraken deleted posts promoting the LAPTOP token following backlash.
Reported by Protos
Base creator Jesse Pollak said Base declined to help with the token's design or amplification.
Reported by Protos
What happened
Hunter Biden is set to launch a memecoin called LAPTOP on Coinbase's Base network on September 9, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the plan on the morning of September 8. Biden confirmed the launch on his verified X account roughly four minutes after the Journal's report, posting the $LAPTOP ticker and date alongside a Fox News clip about the 2020 laptop controversy. The token will have a total supply of 1 billion, with 30% allocated to founders including Biden under a six-month lockup. A separate 20% of supply is earmarked for airdrops targeting wallets that lost money on Donald Trump's TRUMP coin, subscribers to Biden's 'Where's Hunter?' Substack, and members of a mailing list associated with video journalist Andrew Callaghan. Up to 30% of supply is tied to conditional burns triggered by milestones such as a new Bitcoin all-time high, LAPTOP's market cap surpassing TRUMP's, or a Democratic win in the 2028 election. However, the sources disagree on the remaining allocation: one outlet reported 20% is for liquidity, exchanges and legal costs, while another broke it down as 10% liquidity, 5% treasury and 5% charity. The launch drew immediate and intense backlash across crypto Twitter. Pump Fun and Kraken both deleted posts promoting the token after the backlash, according to Protos. Jesse Pollak, creator of Base, said the platform declined to assist with the token's design or amplification, stressing that Base is permissionless. Channel 5, Andrew Callaghan's media company, said it had nothing to do with the project, contradicting earlier reports that Callaghan's mailing list would qualify for the airdrop. Within about an hour of the Journal's report, more than a dozen counterfeit tokens with the LAPTOP ticker appeared on-chain.
How the story developed
- First report
First report by CryptoPotato
Hunter Biden Is Launching a LAPTOP Meme Coin – and TRUMP Losers Are Getting an Airdrop
- Update
Wall Street Journal first reports Hunter Biden's LAPTOP token launch plan
The WSJ broke the news that Hunter Biden plans to launch a memecoin called LAPTOP on Base on September 9.
- Official statement
Hunter Biden confirms launch on X
Biden posted the $LAPTOP ticker and September 9 date to his verified X account about four minutes after the Journal's report.
- Independent corroboration
Independently corroborated by BTC-ECHO
Hunter Biden macht aus Laptop-Skandal einen Memecoin – und provoziert dabei Trump
- Update
Pump Fun and Kraken delete promotional posts
Both crypto firms removed posts promoting $LAPTOP after intense backlash from the crypto community.
- Correction
Channel 5 distances itself from the project
Channel 5 said it had nothing to do with the $LAPTOP token, contradicting earlier reports that Callaghan's mailing list would qualify for the airdrop.
How coverage built up
Independent sources over time, counted the way the consensus panel counts them: a republication of a wire story does not move the line.
- 8 Sept 2026, 04:07 UTC: CryptoPotato — 1 independent source, 1 reports
- 8 Sept 2026, 07:00 UTC: BTC-ECHO — 2 independent sources, 2 reports
- 8 Sept 2026, 13:06 UTC: Protos — 3 independent sources, 3 reports
- 8 Sept 2026, 14:10 UTC: Bankless — 4 independent sources, 4 reports
- 8 Sept 2026, 18:02 UTC: Crypto.News — 5 independent sources, 5 reports
Affected entities
Also mentioned: Solana, Ethereum, BNB, Robinhood, Toncoin
Original sources
| Publisher | Report | Role | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| CryptoPotato Crypto media | Hunter Biden Is Launching a LAPTOP Meme Coin – and TRUMP Losers Are Getting an Airdrop | Original | |
| Protos Crypto media | Pump Fun and Kraken delete Hunter Biden $LAPTOP promotion | Independent | |
| Bankless Crypto media | Hunter Biden’s $LAPTOP Memecoin Hits Base Sept. 9 | Independent | |
| BTC-ECHO Crypto media | Hunter Biden macht aus Laptop-Skandal einen Memecoin – und provoziert dabei Trump | Independent | |
| Crypto.News Crypto media | Hunter Biden is launching a memecoin on Wednesday. He is airdropping it to everyone who lost money on Trump’s. | Independent |
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