Is the TRON Relief Fund incident fake? Sun Yuchen and BitTorrent once again successfully marketing

Justin Sun, founder and CEO of the blockchain project TRON, has once again become the center of controversy for announcing that he has obtained a $2 million COVID-19 relief loan from the U.S. government.

TRON Receives $2 Million Relief Fund? No Evidence Found

The devastation caused by the Wuhan coronavirus has severely impacted the U.S. financial markets. To curb the spread of the virus, the U.S. implemented extensive quarantine measures, leading to an economic standstill and causing losses for many small and medium-sized businesses.

With thousands unable to earn wages, people are struggling to afford rent, loans, utilities, and other expenses, resulting in financial difficulties. The U.S. government introduced the "Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)" to assist small businesses in sustaining themselves. However, there seem to be some flaws in the allocation and review of funds by the U.S. Small Business Administration.

According to an article published yesterday on the Tron WeChat public account, it states:

"According to foreign media reports, Justin Sun's TRON team in the U.S. has received support of 17 million RMB from the American Compensation Protection Plan. According to insiders, this funding is a cash aid from the U.S. government to local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and if used as required, it does not need to be repaid. Currently, the first batch of 17 million RMB subsidies to Justin Sun has been credited, and the second batch of cash aid will be distributed soon."

However, interestingly, the Tron WeChat public account's article claims that the information is sourced from foreign media. Yet, upon actual investigation, the source of foreign media's information seems to point back to this WeChat public account's article. The origin of the news and the possibility of it being false remain unknown at this point. The key issue is that the public account article was published without any accompanying links to the "foreign media" reports.

Search results show that the earliest foreign media report originates from Decrypt, which quotes a tweet by a foreigner in Beijing, Matthew Graham. However, Matthew Graham's reference is based on content reported by Chinese media, indicating that this matter came from "foreign media." So, where exactly is this foreign media?

Even Matthew Graham mentioned in a series of responses that this could be a self-description by Chinese media. What we can confirm is that companies in the U.S. have the opportunity to apply for PPP, but whether TRON actually applied for it and the amount received is another matter. As seen in the Google search image above, after a few hours, Yahoo reported that TRON refused to comment, which is a typical marketing tactic.

Criticism Continues Amid Successful Marketing

Despite the possibility of this being a falsehood, it has sparked discussions.

Consensys executive Zach Herring stated that many hard-working Americans are struggling to obtain loans amidst continuous rejections, while Justin Sun walks away with a pile of cash. Meanwhile, Matthew Graham, CEO of Sino Global Capital, believes that Justin Sun is exploiting the loopholes in the PPP to obtain legitimate loans, although many may mistakenly perceive this assistance as the U.S. government's endorsement of Justin Sun and Tron.

Justin Sun and TRON have once again marketed themselves and their company, with many unexpectedly becoming their advocates.

Further Reading

• Steem Community Elder Accuses Justin Sun of Controlling User Thoughts and Assets, and Controlling Blockchain through Bribes
• Trump Opposes Cryptocurrency, Justin Sun Invites to Lunch with Buffett

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