29-year-old football player strikes back to the White House: The rise of Trump's "crypto strategist" Bo Hines

Bo Hines, who previously assisted the Trump campaign team's top-tier Super PAC with advertising affairs, has been appointed by Trump to lead an aggressive plan aimed at developing crypto-friendly regulatory policies and overturning the Biden administration's suppression of the industry.

In March this year, when Donald Trump hosted the first Cryptocurrency Summit at the White House, he was surrounded by several top-level advisors, with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent sitting to his right and crypto and AI affairs head, venture capital giant David Sacks, to his left. Next to Sacks was a completely unfamiliar figure just months ago: 29-year-old former congressional candidate and college football wide receiver Bo Hines.

Bo Hines, who previously assisted the Trump campaign team's top-tier Super PAC with advertising affairs, has been appointed by Trump to lead an aggressive plan aimed at developing crypto-friendly regulatory policies and overturning the Biden administration's suppression of the industry.

From Unknown to Prominent Figure

In the first 30 days as the executive director of the "Presidential Digital Assets Advisory Committee", Bo Hines has become a prominent figure in the crypto field - with numerous CEOs and billionaire investors rushing to book time with him, and lobbyists competing to meet him face-to-face.

Bo Hines' schedule, obtained by Fortune through the Freedom of Information Act, shows that in his first 30 days in the role, he met with over 50 crypto lobbyists, investors, company founders, institutional officials, and bankers.

His meeting attendees included Chris Dixon and Marc Andreessen from top Silicon Valley investment firm Andreessen Horowitz, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, and Caroline Butler, digital assets head at New York Mellon Bank.

These meetings were held at the White House, in cafes, Zoom video conferences, or at Washington's oldest dining salon, Old Ebbitt Grill.

"I want to meet everyone in this field - big players, small players," Hines said in a recent interview with Fortune at Tatte, an Israeli-American style cafe near the White House, "I want to hear everyone's ideas."

Although David Sacks has decades of business experience from his early days at PayPal and Craft Ventures and holds a higher position, he is a part-time government employee (limited to 130 working days per year), so the relatively unknown Hines handles more daily affairs, with the OSTP spokesperson insisting they work "side by side".

At his desk on the fourth floor of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Hines has become one of the most influential figures in the crypto world. He is essentially the primary liaison between the White House and the crypto industry, dedicated to transforming industry grievances into concrete policies.

As Trump's tariff offensive disrupts global markets and causes digital asset prices to fluctuate dramatically, Hines faces more challenges. Trump's inconsistent economic policies have caused blockchain-related company stock prices to plummet, and potential economic crises might further suppress the crypto market, which is increasingly tied to traditional stock markets. In short, Trump's intermittent trade wars could reverse the economic progress of the blockchain industry in recent years.

To understand the first few months of Trump's crypto agenda and the people trying to implement it, Fortune interviewed this young man and spoke with more than a dozen people who have met or spoken with him since January. Most requested anonymity due to the privacy of the discussions.

They assessed that while Hines lacks crypto experience, he learns quickly and is eager to understand the rebellious industry seeking legitimacy - even as the industry is embroiled in factional struggles. "It's like drinking from a fire hose," said one crypto executive and Washington insider, "For anyone in the crypto world, he is the first entry point to the White House."

Crypto - From Margins to Center

When Hines' spokesperson suggested meeting at a Tatte near the White House, he was delayed by a previous meeting and mistakenly went to two different branches. When he finally arrived at the third Tatte that day (dressed in a dark gray suit, smiling), he immediately dove into crypto topics.

Hines, with a clean-cut appearance and neat hairstyle, carried the crisp demeanor honed through two failed North Carolina congressional campaigns (in 2022 and 2024). He spoke rapidly, answered decisively, repeatedly praised Trump, and insisted that crypto regulation should be a bipartisan consensus. Clearly, this 29-year-old did not want to be seen as a political novice but hoped to be viewed as a Trump ally who could get things done.

"We respect the president, appreciate his work, and endorse his 'America First' stance - and this is no exception in the crypto field."

The crypto industry, once dominated by outsiders and government skeptics, has been moving closer to Washington politicians in recent years. FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried spent millions supporting pro-blockchain politicians, attempting to push comprehensive regulatory legislation. However, with the collapse of his trading platform and the Biden administration launching enforcement actions, prosecuting top companies like Coinbase (SEC accused them of non-compliant registration).

Led by industry giants like Coinbase, blockchain-related groups and individuals donated nearly $250 million to pro-crypto politicians from both parties in the last election cycle. Their efforts paid off: Trump, who once called Bitcoin a "scam", transformed into a crypto evangelist. During his campaign, he promised to establish a federal Bitcoin reserve, promote crypto-friendly legislation, and attracted top venture capitals like Andreessen Horowitz, who had previously complained about being neglected by the previous administration.

After winning in November 2024, Trump began fulfilling his promises, including appointing Solana supporter David Sacks and Hines to the White House's Office of Science and Technology Policy. After taking office, Trump signed several executive orders: establishing a crypto policy working group led by David Sacks and creating a government strategic crypto reserve.

Unlike the Biden administration, Hines has become a friendly interface for industry executives and policy advisors. An executive who has met Hines five times said that due to David Sacks' limited time and need to oversee AI policy, Hines is more like a "opinion collector" for the crypto industry. "David Sacks will only meet with CEOs of the top 20-40 companies," the executive said, "Hines can meet with the next 100." A lobbyist revealed that Hines is even willing to proactively provide his phone number.

Trump's crypto agenda includes pushing Congress to pass stablecoin regulation and helping the SEC develop token issuance guidelines. But for executives, the primary goal is simply to "get in the room". Although Trump originally planned to form an industry leader "crypto committee", it was abandoned due to the "crazy competition for seats" (as described by an executive), with the White House opting for a summit instead. Hines claims this is a misunderstanding of "enthusiasm" and emphasizes it's to "hear more voices".

Even the first White House Crypto Summit sparked an "invitation battle" among industry leaders - with the final list only announced on the day of the event, with about 25 executives (mostly Trump campaign donors) making the cut. "Many people's egos were hurt," a lobbyist described the White House as "like the Wild West", lacking organization and communication.