Trump Suspected of Manipulating to Support XRP in National Crypto Reserve, Despite Existing Ripple Connections.
On May 8th, Politico published a notable report suggesting that U.S. President Donald Trump might have been manipulated by a lobbying group connected to Ripple Labs, leading him to announce a plan to include XRP Token in a "strategic national crypto reserve". If verified, this information reveals significant behind-the-scenes maneuvering in the rapidly developing digital asset industry in the U.S.
According to Politico's sources, a member of the lobbying group led by Brian Ballard - an influential political figure and strong Trump supporter - sent a proposal for Trump to post on social media. The post called for establishing a "U.S. Strategic Crypto Reserve", mentioning digital assets including XRP, Solana (SOL), and Cardano (ADA).
However, after Trump posted this message on Truth Social on March 2nd, he was reportedly informed that Ripple was Ballard's client. According to two close sources, this made Trump angry, feeling exploited. He was quoted as saying about Ballard: "He is no longer welcome anywhere."
Nevertheless, multiple evidences suggest that the relationship between Trump and Ripple might have existed previously. Stuart Alderoty - Ripple's Legal Director - had donated over $300,000 to campaign committees and PACs supporting Trump in the 2024 election.
Mr. Alderoty and Ripple's CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, also met Trump in January and attended inauguration-related events. Additionally, Ripple had donated $5 million in XRP to Trump's presidential inauguration fund.
Moreover, Ripple is currently one of the largest sponsors of Fairshake - a super PAC specializing in media funding for candidates considered "crypto-supportive". According to Fairshake's spokesperson, the organization plans to continue activities in the 2026 midterm elections.
Notably, despite the information about Trump's dissatisfaction, the digital asset reserve plan continues to be implemented. Just four days after the controversial post, on March 6th, Trump signed an executive order establishing a "Digital Asset Reserve". The Truth Social post remained displayed when Politico published its report.
Regarding market reaction, XRP did not show negative fluctuations after the May 8th information. At the time of publication, XRP was trading at $2.23, increasing approximately 5% in the previous 24 hours.
