Eric Trump declared he has “never been more bullish on Bitcoin in my life” and forecast the cryptocurrency could reach $1 million, speaking live from the World Liberty Forum at Mar-a-Lago on February 18, 2026.
In an exclusive on-site interview with CNBC’s Sara Eisen on Squawk on the Street, the Trump brothers—co-founders of World Liberty Financial—discussed crypto’s future amid accelerating institutional adoption and a shifting regulatory landscape.
Eric Trump delivered the headline prediction during the wide-ranging conversation:
“I’ve never been more bullish on bitcoin in my life. I do think it hits $1 million… You’re going to have volatility with something that has tremendous upside.”
He emphasized Bitcoin’s strong long-term track record, noting its recovery from $16,000 lows just two years earlier and double-digit average annual returns over the past decade. Eric positioned the asset as the defining investment theme for anyone under 50, citing heavy allocations from private wealth clients at major firms including Fidelity, Charles Schwab, JPMorgan, BlackRock, and Goldman Sachs.
The brothers framed their own deep involvement in crypto as born of necessity rather than choice. Donald Trump Jr. described traditional banking as a “Ponzi scheme” that forced the family into the space after banks closed hundreds of Trump Organization accounts following the January 6, 2021, Capitol events.
“You know, we didn’t get into crypto because we were on the leading edge,” Don Jr. told Eisen. “We got into it out of necessity… They basically forced us into it.”
Eric Trump added: “We’re the most canceled people in the world in 2020, 2021… We’re trying to modernize finance.” He described the family’s push into crypto—including World Liberty Financial’s stablecoin initiatives—as “retribution” to ensure debanking never happens again to anyone.
The forum itself, hosted by Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and the Witkoff brothers, drew nearly 400 high-profile attendees and reached capacity. Speakers included Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, who disclosed he personally owns a “very, very limited” amount of Bitcoin and described himself as an observer rather than a forecaster. Other participants featured Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman, NYSE President Lynn Martin, and Franklin Templeton CEO Jenny Johnson.
Discussions centered on tokenization, stablecoins, and the modernization of global finance under the current pro-crypto administration. Don Jr. highlighted how World Liberty Financial’s stablecoins aim to “democratize the ability for people to transact, to do finance, to get loans for businesses that make sense.”
Bitcoin traded near $67,000–$68,000 during the event, up significantly from prior cycles but still far from Eric’s $1 million target—a roughly 15x move that would require continued institutional inflows, sovereign adoption, and Bitcoin maintaining its dominance as digital gold.
While the Trump sons’ optimism aligns with their business interests in World Liberty Financial and American Bitcoin, the message resonated in a room filled with Wall Street executives signaling growing comfort with crypto.
The World Liberty Forum underscored a broader theme: the convergence of traditional finance and digital assets is no longer fringe—it is happening at the highest levels, at the president’s private club.