This is a script for a segment that appeared on Velshi. You can watch it here. Because it was written to be spoken, it does not have formal grammar or style.

((SOT))

REVEREND LORENZO SEWELL: Let us pray for our 47th president. Heavenly Father, we're so grateful that you gave our 45th and now our 47th president a millimeter miracle. We are grateful that you are the one that have called him for such a time as this.

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From the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire, let freedom ring. From the mighty mountains of New York, let freedom ring.

((ON CAM))

That was the Reverend Lorenzo Sewell,

((VO))

leading a spirited benediction at President Trump's inauguration.

He thanked God for the incoming administration and prayed that, quote, "America would begin to dream again.”

((ON CAM))

That was in reference to Dr. Martin Luther King's seminal 'I Have a Dream Speech' which was heavily cited throughout Pastor Sewell's prayer.

But it's what Pastor Sewell did *after* Trump's prayer that is even weirder....

((SOT))

SEWELL: "I need you to do me a favor right now i need you to go buy the official Lorenzo Sewell coin. I want you to be able to see politics become manifest, not just in a way where we're praying over political gatherings but we're seeing us become the hands and feet of our lord Jesus Christ, would you help me?”

((ON CAM))

Yea.

That was the pastor hawking a meme coin he signed his name onto shortly after giving Trump's inaugural benediction.

Now, what is a meme coin exactly?

As a serious business journalist, it pains me to even have to explain.

But here we are.

Meme coins are a type of crypto-currency that are typically inspired by internet trends.

Unlike other cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, meme coins have nothing real to drive their worth. They’re not backed by anything. They’re called MEME coins because they have no underlying cash or intrinsic value – only internet hype can drive their price up or down.

But nonetheless, more and more people are launching these meme coins.

Including pastors and the President of the United States.

((FS))

Less than 72 hours before becoming president again, Donald Trump launched Trump Coin, which skyrocketed in value upon release before collapsing shortly after.

((ALI/OC))

A normal, legitimate company’s stock price is meant to go up if it brings in higher earnings.

If you own shares of a meme coin, the only way to make money is by selling at a higher price than what you bought it for. 

((FS))

Which is why basically the only person who will profit from Trump Coin is Donald Trump himself. 

80% of the coin’s supply is owned by Trump organization affiliates, according to the company’s website. 

((ALI/OC))

Trump Coin’s price has fallen since its launch, but it still has a market value of $5.8 billion dollars according to crypto.com, a cryptocurrency marketplace.

Without doing anything he has netted $58 million on transaction fees, according to former Coinbase executive and crypto analyst Conor Grogan. 

Trump Coin has all the makings of a classic “Rug Pull”: horde supply, raise the price, dump the investment, and walk away with your cash as the market bottoms out.

And some members of Congress are raising another concern.

Senator Elizabeth Warren and Congressman Jake Auchincloss wrote a letter to the heads of the SEC, the FTC, and the Treasury saying, quote, 

((FS))

“Anyone, including the leaders of hostile nations, can covertly buy these coins, raising the specter of uninhibited and untraceable foreign influence over the President of the United States, 

((REVEAL))

all while President Trump’s supporters are left to shoulder the risk of investing in TRUMP Coin and MELANIA Coin.”

((ON CAM))

That’s right: the First Lady, Melania Trump, launched her OWN coin a day after her husband. It dropped nearly 80% in value since its peak on the 19th.

Of course, the people most likely to spend real money on a digital asset with no inherent value other than the president’s name … are the president’s biggest supporters.

So if you’re an average person looking to invest some of your savings, don't be fooled by 'Trump Coin'.

It's not  a smart investment.

It's just another grift....and buying them only enriches President Trump.