US President Donald Trump was reportedly manipulated by a lobbyist tied to Ripple Labs into announcing the XRP token would be part of his plans for a national cryptocurrency reserve.

According to a May 8 Politico report, an employee of pro-Trump lobbyist Brian Ballard gave the president the text to a social media post she recommended he write announcing a US strategic crypto reserve that would include XRP, Solana (SOL), and Cardano (ADA). After he posted the message to his social media platform on March 2, Trump learned Ripple was one of Ballard’s clients, infuriating the president, who felt like he’d been used, Politico reported, citing two people familiar with the incident.

“He is not welcome in anything anymore,” said Trump, referencing Ballard, according to the report.

March 2 Truth Social post announcing US crypto reserve. Source: Donald Trump

Trump had connections to Ripple long before the announcement of XRP in the proposed crypto reserve. The blockchain firm’s chief legal officer, Stuart Alderoty, donated more than $300,000 to fundraising and political action committees supporting Trump in the 2024 election, and both he and CEO Brad Garlinghouse met with the then-president-elect in January and attended inauguration events.

Related: Democrats aim at Trump’s crypto profits with a 3-prong pincer move

Ripple also donated $5 million worth of XRP to Trump’s presidential inaugural fund and has been one of the largest contributors to Fairshake, a political action committee (PAC) that supports those it considers “pro-crypto” candidates through media buys. A spokesperson for the PAC said in January that it would continue its efforts in the 2026 midterm elections.

Trump moved forward on crypto reserve days later

The president often uses his social media platform to suggest policies before any official announcement through the White House. Trump signed an executive order to create a “Digital Asset Stockpile” on March 6 — roughly four days after the post, which was still live at the time of publication.

The price of XRP did not appear to significantly react to the May 8 report. At the time of publication, it was $2.23, having risen roughly 5% in the previous 24 hours. Cointelegraph reached out to a Ripple spokesperson for comment, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

Magazine: Trump’s crypto ventures raise conflict of interest, insider trading questions

The Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins of 2025 Act, known as the GENIUS Act, failed to pass cloture in the United States Senate on May 8, dealing a slight blow to cryptocurrency regulation in the country.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Bill Hagerty and co-sponsored by Senators Tim Scott, Kirsten Gillibrand, Cynthia Lummis and Angela Alsobrooks, received last-minute pushback from Democrats, who took aim at the bill and raised concerns about US President Donald Trump’s cryptocurrency ventures.

To address the concerns of Senate Democrats, the bill had already been amended to include stricter requirements for stablecoin issuers for further provisions for Anti-Money Laundering.

The GENIUS Act was seen as a bipartisan effort to increase regulatory clarity for digital assets in the United States. The focus of the bill, stablecoins used for payments, was looked at as extending dollar dominance internationally and straying away from more controversial crypto topics.

After the procedure failed, Senate Majority Leader John Thune criticized Democrats, saying, “Democrats have been accommodated every step of the way […] frankly, I just don’t get it.”

This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.

Key takeaways:

Bitcoin rallies to $101,707 against a backdrop of strong fundamentals in the regulatory and traditional finance space.

Traders are confident that $100,000 will hold as support.

Bitcoin (BTC) price rallied above $100,000 on the heels of US President Donald Trump’s announcement of a “trade deal” with the UK, which could possibly include the removal of the blanket 10% tariff on all imports. 

Frequent social posts from President Trump and public comments from White House cabinet members have hinted at a handful of trade deals in negotiation with various countries, and markets have responded positively to the messaging. In addition to the UK trade deal, the US is set to meet with Chinese officials in Switzerland on May 10.

The Dow gained 500 points following the White House announcement, while the S&P 500 rose 1.47%, and Bitcoin trades near $101,600 at the time of writing. 

In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote: 

“Many other deals, which are in serious stages of negotiation, to follow!” 

The significance of Bitcoin’s return to six-figure territory after trading below the level since February was not lost on investors:

In an X post, popular independent market analyst Macroscope said he was “watching closely now,” and stressed the importance of BTC “holding” the $100,000 level as a support, rather than a brief pop above the psychological resistance level. 

X / MacroScope  

While the initial surge through the $100,000 level appears to be driven by $241 million in futures market liquidations, the political and investment environment surrounding Bitcoin has seen vast improvements since the last time BTC traded above six figures. 

In the past week, the governors of two US states have signed bills, which now make it legal for the states to establish strategic Bitcoin reserves. On May 8, the legislature in the US state of Missouri sent Bill 594, a bill which would end all capital gains taxes, to the desk of Governor Mike Kehoe. 

Related: Strive to become Bitcoin treasury company  

On May 7, the US Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) confirmed that banks within its jurisdiction can “responsibly” trade crypto on behalf of their customers, and they can also “outsource” crypto and custodial activities to trusted third parties.

LATEST: The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency confirms that national banks and federal savings associations “may engage in certain cryptocurrency activities.” pic.twitter.com/4EuJ6A7OUI

— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) May 8, 2025

In late March, the FDIC issued guidance giving banks the green light to hold crypto assets and offer various goods and services to clients. In addition to growing legislative and regulatory support for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, inflows to the spot Bitcoin ETFs have soared, alongside increasing buying and BTC treasury from US-based and international publicly listed companies. 

Spot Bitcoin ETF inflows (weekly). Source: SoSoValue

This article does not contain investment advice or recommendations. Every investment and trading move involves risk, and readers should conduct their own research when making a decision.