A Politically Charged Token Hits Base
Hunter Biden is set to deploy a memecoin called LAPTOP on Wednesday on Base, the blockchain network developed by Coinbase. The token carries a total supply of one billion units, with founders — Biden included — allocated 30% of the supply, locked for six months and released gradually over more than two years. Another 20% is designated for airdrops, with the first batch reserved for wallets that sustained losses on TRUMP, the memecoin Donald Trump launched days before his 2025 inauguration.
The laptop itself became a cultural lightning rod years ago when data from the device — including emails about overseas business dealings and deeply personal material — surfaced publicly around the 2020 election. Thousands of memes followed. Now, Biden is attempting to turn that notoriety into a tradeable token.
Base Makes Clear: No Endorsement
Jordan Fish, known in crypto circles as Cobie and head of Coinbase’s Base application team, moved quickly to draw a distinction between permitting a launch and endorsing one. « Anyone can deploy a token on Base without Coinbase approving it, » he said, stressing there is no partnership between LAPTOP and either Coinbase or Base.
Jesse Pollak, who originally founded Base, confirmed the LAPTOP team had reached out beforehand. Base made a « conscious decision » not to assist with the token’s design or promotion. « Politics are complicated, and it doesn’t feel like Base’s place to steer the outcome, » Pollak wrote on X, reiterating that the network is permissionless and open to all builders.
Traders Hit Back Hard
The crypto community’s response has been remarkably direct. A pseudonymous DeFi developer told Biden it was not too late to walk the launch back. Prominent trader DonAlt called the move an « utter embarrassment, » arguing Biden had been handed a platform and used it to launch a memecoin. Another pseudonymous investor told Biden never to return to the community.
The backlash was strong enough that Kraken deleted a promotional post for the token after traders questioned why one of the largest crypto exchanges would advertise a political memecoin. Kraken has not clarified whether it intends to list LAPTOP when trading begins; the token’s website says exchange listings will be announced at that time.
Airdrop Confusion and Copycat Activity
The LAPTOP airdrop eligibility list also included subscribers to a financial TV program’s mailing list, prompting its host to deny any connection to the coin. The host stated the program does not consider crypto a legitimate investment.
Not everyone is retreating, however. Token issuance platform Pump.fun continued advertising LAPTOP on Tuesday, and copycat tokens using the same name were already trading on the platform by Asian morning hours — suggesting speculative appetite for the attention persists despite the controversy.
What This Means for the Memecoin Landscape
The LAPTOP launch highlights the growing tension between political figures entering the memecoin space and the crypto community’s skepticism of politically motivated tokens. As Base maintains its permissionless stance while publicly disassociating, the episode raises broader questions about how exchanges and blockchain networks should handle politically charged token launches — and where the line sits between allowing open access and being perceived as endorsing the content.
