In negotiations over recent months, banking groups had won over some senators over their concerns about how U.S. regulations would pave the way for stablecoin rewards programs that the bankers argued could threaten their traditional deposit accounts. The objection derailed Senate progress on the effort to win a new U.S. regulatory regime for crypto, though recent discussions suggest the bill could still get back on track and has a potential path to survive a tightening lawmaking calendar this year. Trump has signaled that's a priority.
The president's event featured a roster of crypto executives and investors, including Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, Ark Invest’s Cathie Wood and Anchorage Digital CEO Nathan McCauley. Boxer Mike Tyson was also in attendance.
Beyond crypto, Trump touched on foreign policy issues including Iran, Venezuela and NATO, which he described as a “paper tiger” that is “never there for us.”
As for the digital asset industry, Trump stuck to his usual script: “We are the leader in crypto. It's become mainstream,” he said.
The conference comes as Trump continues to back crypto ventures tied to his name, drawing both industry support and political scrutiny. His close personal connections to digital assets businesses has been among the other sticking points on passing the Clarity Act, as Democratic negotiators have insisted that senior government officials, including the president, be banned from profiting off of the industry.
A previous event he appeared at for his memecoin investors last year touched off protests and Democratic criticism that his policy aims benefit his own business interests in an example of government corruption that needs to cease. He was also criticized for meeting privately with unnamed foreign business figures who'd effectively paid for their attendance.
coindesk.com
