According to Fortune.com, the President of the United States Donald Trump is ready to launch a new initiative in the crypto world: a real estate-themed video game with dynamics similar to those of the famous board game Monopoly.
This project marks yet another step for the former real estate magnate – now leading the White House – in the universe of cryptocurrencies, along with his family and longtime collaborators like Bill Zanker.
A return to the business game: the “crypto” Monopoly according to Trump
It is not the first time that Trump shows interest in the world of board games and real estate. Already in 1989, he had launched “Trump: The Game”, a personalized version of Monopoly.
Subsequently, in 2006, he also considered a reality show inspired by the same concept. “I have always thought that Monopoly was an extraordinary game,” he stated in an interview with the New York Post.
Today, that idea evolves in a digital and crypto key.
According to two confidential sources heard by Fortune, the new project is set up as a video game with mechanics similar to MONOPOLY GO!, where users earn virtual money by moving around a digital board and constructing buildings within a virtual city.
Behind this new adventure, we find Bill Zanker, entrepreneur and former founder of the Learning Annex, as well as a long-time friend and collaborator of Trump.
Zanker, already involved in the launch of the NFT collections and the Trump family’s memecoin, has been confirmed as the creator of the new video game.
His spokesperson, Kevin Mercuri, denied any direct connection with the title MONOPOLY GO! However, he confirmed that Zanker is working on a “game” set to be released by the end of April 2025.
In any case, he described the similarities with Monopoly as “rumors”.
It should be noted that, according to a source heard by Fortune, Zanker had contacted Hasbro in May 2024 to repurchase the license for the old “Trump: The Game,” but the company stated that it no longer holds the rights to the title launched over thirty years ago.
A spokesperson for Hasbro also confirmed that no license has been granted for a Trump-related crypto project.
A growing list of crypto projects
The video game represents just the latest piece of a long list of crypto initiatives carried out by the Trump family. Alongside the NFTs and the memecoin, their ecosystem includes:
- a stablecoin,
- a decentralized finance project called World Liberty Financial,
- is a Bitcoin mining company, in which Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. would have a significant stake.
According to Fortune, the initiatives linked to the Trump name are also expanding on the legal front.
At the end of February, the entity that manages the registered trademarks of the president, DTTM Operations, filed new applications for the use of the name “Trump” on products related to the crypto world.
Among these, we find NFT of virtual clothing and an online store for digital goods.
It is not yet clear if these recordings are directly connected to the new video game, nor how the tecnologia blockchain will be integrated into the gameplay.
In any case, the rise of the Trump family’s crypto activities is raising questions regarding possible conflicts of interest, especially in light of the President’s recent political decisions.
During his second term, Trump has indeed:
- appointed an “AI and crypto czar” at the White House,
- authorized the creation of a national strategic reserve of Bitcoin and digital assets,
- and promoted new legislative proposals to regulate the crypto industry.
However, in a separate interview given to Fortune, Eric Trump dismissed all accusations: “Our family believes in this sector. It is something we feel with our heart and soul,” he stated.
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Who is Bill Zanker?
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Bill Zanker is a key figure behind many of the Trump family’s crypto projects. In addition to co-authoring a book with the President on personal achievement and success in business, Zanker was among the first to suggest to Trump to enter the world of NFTs.
In the 1980s, Zanker had founded the Learning Annex with only 5,000 dollars received for his bar mitzvah. The company offered eccentric courses for adults, such as “How to cheat on your partner,” “Hot air balloon flight,” and “Firewalking.”
After a break in business relations that occurred during Trump’s first presidential candidacy in 2015, Zanker returned to the spotlight in 2022 by proposing the first NFT collection depicting Trump as a superhero, astronaut, and cowboy.
According to three Fortune sources, Zanker is also one of the minds behind the memecoin associated with Trump and is cited as an official figure in FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT LLC, the company behind the cryptocurrency.
The new crypto video game in Monopoly style marks another incursion by Donald Trump and his network of trusted collaborators into the world of criptovalute.
If confirmed, the project could attract both enthusiastic supporters and critics concerned about the ties between political power and economic interests.
In the meantime, the interest of the Trump family in the sector seems anything but fleeting: from digital entertainment to blockchain, the President’s crypto vision is leaving a lasting mark.
