Trump: ‘Big crypto guy’ but distances family ventures

President Donald Trump on Monday, at an event launching new tax-advantaged investment accounts for children, described himself as a ‘big crypto guy' when asked whether bitcoin could be included. He did not confirm that bitcoin would be an option, calling crypto ‘powerful' and saying he ‘got involved in it a little bit for politics' after seeing more public interest and money flow into digital tokens.

Last week the Office of Government Ethics published the president's financial disclosure, linking large holdings of bitcoin and ether to World Liberty Financial, a firm owned by family members. The report tied hundreds of billions of dollars in cryptocurrencies to WLFI.

That disclosure intensified debate on Capitol Hill over potential conflicts of interest related to digital assets. Negotiators from both parties have been working on federal cryptocurrency legislation that would include ethics limits on how presidents, vice presidents, members of Congress and other federal officials can profit from or hold digital assets while in office. Officials said the OGE report increased urgency in those talks.

When asked about his family's crypto activities, he said he does not discuss World Liberty Financial or his children's crypto dealings with them. ‘I let my kids do whatever the hell they do… I don't talk to them ever about it,' he said. He repeated a remark from last week: ‘I could know about it. I didn't.'

The new accounts are advertised as tax-advantaged investment vehicles for minors. Whether cryptocurrency will be permitted in those accounts remains unclear amid the still-developing U.S. regulatory framework. Federal regulators and lawmakers are drafting rules on market oversight, consumer protections and disclosure requirements for digital assets.

His comments left open whether cryptocurrency will be added to the investment options for the accounts and come as Washington debates how to set ethics and regulatory rules for digital asset ownership by public officials.