A recent post on X by Coin Bureau drew attention to the political maneuvering surrounding XRP and the exclusion of XRP from recent U.S. policy considerations regarding cryptocurrency reserves.

According to the post, Senator Cynthia Lummis, a supporter of digital assets and chair of the Senate's Digital Asset Subcommittee, recently canceled a meeting with Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse without public explanation. This development has raised concerns about the senator's impartiality regarding various cryptocurrency projects, particularly related to XRP.

Allegations of Personal Bias in Policy Decisions

Coin Bureau emphasizes that the XRP community has uncovered the online activity of Will Cole, Lummis's son-in-law, which appears to show a strong negative stance toward both Ripple and related digital assets.

Cole is reported to have reposted content describing XRP as a "fake token" and called Ripple a "centralized joke of a scam." The resurfacing of these claims has raised questions about whether personal bias could influence Lummis's decisions on digital asset policy.

Preference for Bitcoin in U.S. Reserve Discussions

This scrutiny is particularly relevant given Lummis's prominent role in promoting the establishment of the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Fund.

This proposal, stemming from her 2024 legislative initiative, includes a clear emphasis on Bitcoin as the digital asset of choice for national strategic interests. Coin Bureau highlights that such an association with Bitcoin could be viewed by critics as bias, sidelining other projects, including XRP.

Coin Bureau also notes that speculation about XRP being considered for reserves previously emerged from a post on Truth Social purportedly by Donald Trump.

In that post, several major cryptocurrencies were mentioned — specifically Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, Cardano, and XRP. However, when the official executive order was issued later, only Bitcoin was referenced, with no mention of XRP or any other altcoins. This omission has led many to question whether XRP was intentionally excluded.

The Twitter post also mentions the larger institutional barriers that XRP faces in the United States. Among these are the ongoing delays in the approval of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) based on XRP.

Applications from entities like 21Shares and Grayscale have yet to be approved, with some analysts suggesting that approval may not occur until the end of the year. These regulatory delays further complicate the chances of XRP being officially recognized or integrated into federal cryptocurrency strategies.

Coin Bureau concludes that the likelihood of XRP being included in any future U.S. cryptocurrency reserve fund currently seems low. The combination of unresolved legal issues, hurdles in ETF approval, and current signs of political and personal bias contribute to a challenging environment for XRP in U.S. regulatory and strategic circles.