Donald Trump published a message endorsing XRP, Solana, and Cardano, suggested by a lobbying firm linked to Ripple, without being aware of it at the time of publication.
The message had an immediate impact on the crypto markets before Trump discovered Ripple’s indirect involvement through Ballard Partners, triggering his anger.
The incident weakens the position of Ballard Partners, close to Trump and expanding, raising questions about the real influence on the candidate’s crypto strategy.
Un lobbyist pushed the presidential pro XRP tweet
The crypto PR stunt by Donald Trump turned into a backstage debacle. According to Politico, the former president was furious after finding out that the post he had published on Truth Social, calling for a ‘Crypto Strategic Reserve’ including XRP, Solana, and Cardano, had been prompted by a lobbying firm… serving Ripple.
An influenced post, tumultuous markets
The message, released in March, led to an immediate surge in the prices of the mentioned tokens. Trump stated that ‘the crypto sector needed to be saved after years of corrupt attacks by the Biden administration’ and announced an Executive Order in favor of a national reserve including XRP, SOL, ADA… later adding Bitcoin and Ethereum to the list.
However, internally, the atmosphere was different. The text was reportedly suggested directly by Ballard Partners, one of the most influential lobbying firms in Washington, led by Brian Ballard, a close associate of Trump known for his privileged access to the former president. One of Ballard Partners’ major clients? Ripple, which Trump only realized after publication.
Ripple in the shadows, Trump furious
Ripple, despite claiming not to control XRP, remains closely tied to the asset. Discovering that the message indirectly came from a firm working for the Californian company reportedly enraged Trump, according to several sources cited by Politico. Ballard has since become persona non grata in the immediate circle of the president.
This incident comes at a bad time for the firm, which had gained 130 new clients since November, including Chevron, JP Morgan, Netflix, and T-Mobile. Ballard’s image as a ‘Trump whisperer’ could suffer a blow.
A crypto strategy under influence?
Meanwhile, Trump signed another decree in March to create a strategic Bitcoin reserve. While the crypto dynamic seems to be integrated into his campaign, this incident raises a question: who is really steering the candidate’s web3 policy? And more importantly, to whose benefit?
