Lamar Odom attends Donald Trump's cryptocurrency gala amid protests

President Donald Trump hosted top investors for one of his cryptocurrency projects at his luxury golf course in Northern Virginia

President Donald Trump hosted top investors for one of his cryptocurrency projects at his luxury golf course in Northern Virginia on Thursday - and one of them was former NBA star Lamar Odom.

Outside the club, protesters gathered with signs that read "stop crypto corruption" and "no corrupt fools."

The ex-Laker was not absolved from those same protesters - but he was not fazed.

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"I’m just about to pass through security and officially walk into the Trump Gala. Honestly… I’m fired up," Odom said in an X post.

"Think about it—what meme coin has ever done this? $ODOM isn’t just a token, it’s taking the stage at a presidential gala tonight!"

(On the menu: seared scallops, filet mignon and chocolate cake.)

Odom also said in the post, "This is the most authentic soulful experience in crypto history."

Among those protesting outside the golf club was Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Democrat from Oregon.

"This is the crypto corruption club," the Times quoted Merkley as saying. "This is like the Mount Everest of corruption."

The senator said he was protesting Trump’s involvement in a meme coin shortly after the president announced in December that he was running for president again.

Three days before Trump took office on Jan. 20, he announced the creation of the $TRUMP meme coin, describing it as a way for his supporters to "have fun."

Trump’s meme coin saw an initial spike in value, followed by a steep drop. Its creators, which include an entity controlled by the Trump Organization, have made hundreds of millions of dollars by collecting fees on trades, according to the Associated Press.

After Trump announced his latest bid for the presidency, Merkley and Sen. Tim Kane, a Democrat from Massachusetts, introduced an amendment to a bill that would prevent the president from investing in any cryptocurrency.

The amendment, which was ultimately not included in the bill, was part of a broader effort by some lawmakers to increase oversight of the cryptocurrency industry.

The senators argued that the president’s connection with cryptocurrency ventures could open the door to conflicts of interest and influence peddling.

They also expressed concerns about the potential for meme coins to be used for scams and fraud.

"We're not surprised that President Trump is hosting a lavish party for cryptocurrency investors at his golf course," a spokesperson for the senators said in a statement.

"But we are surprised that any elected official would want to stand with an administration that is actively trying to corrupt our democracy for personal gain."

Odom played 14 seasons in the NBA, 12 of them with the Los Angeles Clippers and Lakers. He won back-to-back titles with the Lakers in 2009 and 2010 and was named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in the 2010-11 campaign.

Fox News’ Greg Norman, Eric Revell and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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