Hunter Biden set to launch crypto meme coin inspired by his infamous laptop

WASHINGTON, DC: After helping upend the 2020 presidential race, Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop is getting a bizarre second act, this time as the unlikely inspiration for a meme coin.

Former President Joe Biden's son announced on Monday, September 7, that he’s debuting a meme coin, traded under the ticker $LAPTOP.

Hunter teased the launch, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, with a video that compiled clips of news outlets and politicians referencing the laptop.

$LAPTOP’s founders will hold 30% of the one billion tokens

According to The Wall Street Journal, Hunter and the other founders will retain 30% of the one billion $LAPTOP tokens issued.

Another 20% will be distributed in two batches to crypto wallets linked to people who lost money on President Donald Trump’s $TRUMP meme coin, as well as subscribers to Hunter’s Substack and a mailing list curated by his friend and video journalist Andrew Callaghan.

Callaghan’s company posted a statement clarifying that he has “nothing to do with” $LAPTOP, and that Hunter is simply using a mailing list they provide to “expand his audience.”

“As we have told our followers numerous times, we do not believe crypto is a legitimate investment,” read the statement.

The launch quickly sparked a wave of copycats, with crypto publication The Defiant reporting that at least 14 imitation LAPTOP tokens appeared across four other networks within an hour, collectively generating $6.9 million in trading volume.

Meme coins do not carry any intrinsic value, but they often surge in price due to social media hype around their launch. Other politicians and celebrities have launched their own coins, including President Trump and first lady Melania Trump.

Both surged in value when launched before eventually crashing. However, Trump has reportedly made about $600 million from the venture.

The former first son’s laptop became a political firestorm in the final stretch of the 2020 presidential election after he left it at a Delaware computer repair shop in April 2019 and never returned to collect it.

The FBI seized the device five months later, but its contents, including emails, documents and financial records, as well as explicit personal material, eventually became the subject of intense political scrutiny and a fierce partisan battle.

Hunter Biden says he ‘may have to’ run for president

Hunter’s announcement of the meme coin launch came just a few days after he indicated that he may have to consider a 2028 presidential run amid speculation about who the Democratic nominee could be.

During an episode of 'The Cats Roundtable' released Sunday, radio host John Catsimatidis asked Hunter whether he was considering a presidential run. 

Hunter initially kept his options open, saying, “I haven’t made up my mind,” before joking that he might run if he could secure Catsimatidis’ endorsement.

He also praised several potential Democratic contenders, pointing to Kentucky Gov Andy Beshear and Illinois Gov JB Pritzker before adding, “I love Gavin Newsom, personally.”

Newsom, California’s Democratic governor, has already acknowledged that he is considering a 2028 presidential bid. In an October interview with CBS News’ Robert Costa, Newsom said he would be “lying” if he claimed he was not thinking about running for the White House after the 2026 midterms.