Trump Reportedly Misled into Promoting XRP for National Crypto Reserve

In a surprising turn of events, former U.S. President Donald Trump was reportedly tricked into supporting Ripple’s XRP token as part of a proposed national cryptocurrency reserve. According to a Politico report from May 8, the post was suggested by an employee of pro-Trump lobbyist Brian Ballard — who happens to be connected to Ripple Labs.
On March 2, Trump shared a message on his social media platform, endorsing the idea of a U.S. “crypto reserve” featuring XRP, Solana (SOL), and Cardano (ADA). However, after making the post, Trump discovered that Ripple was a client of Ballard’s. This angered him, as he felt manipulated. “He is not welcome in anything anymore,” Trump reportedly said about Ballard.
Ripple’s Ties to Trump Run Deep
Ripple has supported Trump-related causes for years. Its Chief Legal Officer, Stuart Alderoty, donated over $300,000 to Trump-aligned PACs. Both he and Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse even met with Trump in January and attended inauguration events. Ripple also donated $5 million worth of XRP to Trump’s inaugural fund and has been a major donor to Fairshake — a PAC backing pro-crypto political candidates.
Crypto Reserve Moves Forward Anyway
Despite the backlash, Trump didn’t back down from the idea. Just days after the post, on March 6, he signed an executive order to create a national “Digital Asset Stockpile.” The original post supporting XRP remained live at the time of reporting.
Interestingly, the XRP price wasn’t heavily impacted by the news. It was trading at $2.23, up about 5% over the past 24 hours.
This controversy raises fresh questions about political influence, insider dealings, and how crypto firms are trying to shape U.S. policy.
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