Trump Media Drops CRO Plan as Crypto Market Cools
Trump Media and Crypto.com are ending their CRO and ETF plans as digital asset treasuries lose favor. CRO fell 5% after the news.
Key Takeaways
- Trump Media, Crypto.com, and Yorkville Acquisition are ending the Trump Media Group CRO Strategy plan.
- The CRO token fell as much as 5% after the news, even though Trump Media had already bought $105 million (€91 million) worth of CRO.
- Trump Media is scaling back several crypto plans and is now focusing on media, data licensing, and its merger with TAE Technologies.
Trump Media is stepping back from a set of crypto initiatives that were still central to its strategy last year. Alongside Crypto.com and SPAC Yorkville Acquisition, the company has ended the Trump Media Group CRO Strategy plan, and CRO dropped as much as 5% after the announcement.
CRO Plan Is Off the Table
On Friday, the three parties said they were scrapping the proposal for a public company built around accumulating CRO. The idea was to buy Cronos’ native token and earn additional returns through staking. Trump Media had already purchased $105 million (€91 million) worth of CRO in September 2025 as part of its broader deal with Crypto.com.
That partnership was also expected to add token rewards to Trump Media’s products. It was part of the rush into so-called digital asset treasury companies that drew heavy attention last year, but that trade has clearly cooled since then. The move also reflects the broader slowdown in digital asset treasuries, including Avalanche Treasury, where a SPAC-backed crypto treasury setup quickly came under pressure.
Broader Crypto Package Is Being Cut Back
Trump Media and Crypto.com are also walking away from a separate plan that would have seen Crypto.com support certain planned ETFs from Yorkville America. Earlier, Axios reported that Trump Media is also scaling back the rollout of Crypto.com-powered prediction markets on Truth Social.
The company’s direction is shifting toward media, data licensing, and its proposed merger with fusion energy company TAE Technologies. Interim CEO Kevin McGurn told Axios that those are now the priorities, and he said the digital asset treasury market has become crowded.
Political and Market Pressure Are Part of It
For European crypto readers, the main takeaway is how quickly major U.S. companies can pull back from crypto experiments once market conditions turn less favorable. The political backdrop in Washington also still matters: the CLARITY Act remains stalled in Congress, in part because of ethics concerns and possible conflicts of interest involving President Donald Trump and his family.
Trump Media still holds Bitcoin on its balance sheet. According to company documents, it held 9,542 BTC at the end of the second quarter, though the company moved another 2,628 BTC earlier this week, worth about $165 million (€143 million), to addresses linked to Crypto.com.
