Hunter Biden Turns Laptop Drama into a Meme Coin

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal on Monday morning, Hunter Biden – the son of former President Joe Biden – is gearing up to launch his own cryptocurrency. The proposed token, branded “$LAPTOP,” appears to be a tongue‑in‑cheek reference to the infamous laptop that made headlines back in 2020.

Shortly after the story broke, Biden took to X (formerly Twitter) and posted the ticker symbol “$LAPTOP” with a date stamp of Sept. 9. He paired the cryptic message with a mash‑up video that stitched together clips of news outlets and even a few Trump administration officials talking about the laptop.

For a quick refresher: the laptop was dropped off at a repair shop in Delaware in April 2019, seized by the FBI five months later, and allegedly contained a mix of emails, financial documents, and personal photos that fuelled a media firestorm in the lead‑up to the 2020 election. Trump‑friendly media ran with the story, and it has remained a recurring punch‑line ever since.

Hunter Biden’s legal team has consistently argued that the material was manipulated, and the younger Biden himself has been vocal about the whole saga. In a June post on X, he wrote that the files showed a period of personal struggle with crack cocaine and alcohol, but no evidence of corruption or any crime beyond drug use.

Beyond the laptop drama, Biden has also been an outspoken advocate for digital assets. He’s used his Substack, podcasts, and social media to urge Congress to “truly understand the value and potential utility of cryptocurrency,” calling decentralized digital money “the inevitable future.”

The proposed $LAPTOP token would reportedly trade on Base, a layer‑2 network built by Coinbase Global. A spokesperson for Coinbase did not immediately respond to a request for comment, leaving the details a bit fuzzy for now.

Hunter isn’t the first political figure to dabble in meme‑coins. Former President Donald Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump launched their own meme tokens ahead of Trump’s return to office in January 2025, allegedly raking in roughly $1 billion in gains—though many ordinary investors saw losses.

Meme coins, by nature, thrive on hype, novelty, and the promise of quick profits rather than fundamental value. That makes them a high‑risk playground where the line between savvy speculation and reckless gambling can blur quickly.

Whether $LAPTOP will become another fleeting internet curiosity or a lasting fixture in the crypto ecosystem remains to be seen. For now, the blend of political intrigue, personal history, and digital finance keeps both skeptics and enthusiasts watching closely.