Justin Sun was already one of the richest people in the world, having made his fortune in the no-rules early phase of the crypto industry, when he first met the three men from World Liberty Financial. It was October 2024, and the only thing Sun knew of the company they were hoping he would invest in was that it was being launched by then-candidate Donald Trump and his three sons.

Neither Don Jr., Eric, and Barron nor anyone else with the Trump name was on the video call that day. Instead, on the other side were World…