Former U.S. President Donald Trump may have inadvertently supported Ripple’s XRP token as part of a proposed national cryptocurrency reserve — reportedly due to influence from a lobbyist connected to Ripple Labs.
According to a Politico report published on May 8, Trump posted on his social media platform on March 2 about forming a strategic U.S. crypto reserve that would include XRP, Solana (SOL), and Cardano (ADA). The post, however, was allegedly drafted by a staffer for lobbyist Brian Ballard, whose firm represents Ripple. The report claims Trump was unaware of the connection at the time and was outraged when he found out, believing he had been manipulated. “He is not welcome in anything anymore,” Trump reportedly said about Ballard.
Despite his frustration, Trump’s connections to Ripple appear to run deeper. Ripple’s Chief Legal Officer, Stuart Alderoty, has contributed over $300,000 to Trump-aligned political committees. Additionally, Alderoty and Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse reportedly met with Trump earlier this year and attended his inauguration events. Ripple also donated $5 million worth of XRP to Trump’s inaugural fund and is a top donor to Fairshake — a pro-crypto political action committee that has vowed to remain active through the 2026 elections.
Just days after his initial post, Trump took further action by signing an executive order on March 6 establishing a national “Digital Asset Stockpile,” suggesting he may still be pursuing crypto-related initiatives.
At the time of writing, XRP’s price stood at $2.23, up approximately 5% over the past 24 hours. Ripple has not issued a public response to the claims in the Politico report.