Trump Reportedly Duped Into Backing XRP Amid Lobbying Controversy
Fresh reports claim President Trump didn’t mean to put XRP in the U.S. Crypto Strategic Reserve—he was allegedly manipulated into it.
Sources say prominent GOP lobbyist Brian Ballard, a longtime Trump ally, played a quiet but critical role in getting XRP added to the mix. Despite Trump’s anger when he found out, the coin still remains part of the Reserve.
Ripple’s Deep Ties to Trump’s Inner Circle
Trump had originally promised a Bitcoin-focused reserve before the 2024 election. That changed fast. A month into office, his surprise social media post endorsed not only $BTC but also $SOL , ADA, and $XRP —rocketing their visibility overnight.
But a new Politico exposé alleges that endorsement wasn’t Trump’s idea. According to insiders, Ballard’s team persistently pushed XRP onto Trump, possibly exploiting their long-standing relationship.
The twist? Ripple paid Ballard Partners $60,000 last year. And its CEO, Brad Garlinghouse, is openly pro-Trump, having donated heavily to his campaign. Whether this influence play was strategic or shady, one thing’s clear: XRP’s inclusion may not be as organic as it looked.
Ripple Listed as a Ballard Partners Client. Source: OpenSecrets.
Meanwhile, the US president has now exiled Brian Ballard. The community reacted strongly to these events, suggesting Trump might remove XRP and other altcoins from the Strategic Reserve. However, this may be overstated for a few reasons.
Trump was allegedly angry over being misled, not because he had a specific distaste for XRP. The Reserve announcement occurred shortly before Trump’s Crypto Summit, and David Sacks worried about perceived favoritism. Nonetheless, Ripple has been a good friend to the President.
Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple’s CEO, vocally supports Trump’s crypto policies. He donated millions to the President’s Inauguration and has continued maintaining this relationship.
In other words, why would Trump decide to punish XRP for Ballard’s actions? These allegations are indeed shocking, but the market evidently doesn’t expect turmoil for XRP at this time.
XRP Monthly Price Chart. Source: BeInCrypto
To be clear, neither Trump, Ballard, nor Ripple employees have responded to these allegations. Regarding XRP’s place in the Reserve, Trump may simply let bygones be bygones.
It’s important to understand that while the US president signed an executive order to ‘assess the establishment’ of a strategic crypto reserve, no developments have been made yet.