In a shocking turn of events, U.S. President Donald Trump was reportedly manipulated by a lobbyist connected to Ripple Labs into publicly backing $XRP as part of a future U.S. strategic crypto reserve.
According to Politico, a staffer from pro-Trump lobbyist Brian Ballard’s firm handed Trump a prewritten social media post suggesting that $XRP , along with Solana $SOL and Cardano (ADA) , be included in a national digital asset stockpile. Trump posted it — and only later discovered Ripple was one of Ballard’s clients.
Reportedly furious, Trump said Ballard was “not welcome in anything anymore.”
But the connection runs deeper. Ripple’s legal chief Stuart Alderoty donated over $300,000 to pro-Trump committees, and Ripple itself gave $5 million worth of XRP to Trump’s 2017 inauguration fund. Ripple has also been a major backer of pro-crypto PAC Fairshake.
Despite the drama, Trump moved forward with the idea just days later. On March 6, he signed an executive order to establish a “Digital Asset Stockpile,” signaling crypto may play a real role in future U.S. monetary policy.
XRP’s price saw only a modest 5% bump after the report broke. No official comment from Ripple has been released so far.
