Protestors accuse Trump of corruption as he hosts crypto gala dinner: BBC

US President Donald Trump has hosted top purchasers of the cryptocurrency that bears his name at a gala dinner, in an event that protesters and his Democrat opponents branded as "corrupt", BBC has reported.

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$TRUMP was launched shortly before his inauguration in January, initially rocketing in value before falling sharply afterwards, according to the BBC report filed by Lily Jamali.

Protesters gathered outside the event on Thursday night, which was held at a golf course near Washington DC, some carrying signs reading "stop crypto corruption" and "no kings.”

The BBC report says: The White House has rejected the accusations, and in a video of the dinner posted on social media, Trump is seen saying "I always put the country way ahead of the business.'

"The Biden administration persecuted crypto innovators and we're bringing them back into the USA where they belong," Trump is also recorded as saying.

The event took place as Bitcoin - the leading cryptocurrency - was hitting a fresh record high price of almost $112,000 (£83,000) per coin before falling back slightly.

$TRUMP is what is known as a meme coin-a type of cryptocurrency inspired by internet memes or viral online trends.

Its price peaked at $75 in January before plummeting to less than $8 in April - it was trading at around $12.50 at the time of writing.