President Donald Trump hosted cryptocurrency executives and financial regulators at the White House on Wednesday, declaring that the U.S. is “leading by a lot” in both digital assets and artificial intelligence.
Representatives from Coinbase, Ripple, and Nasdaq attended the meeting in the Roosevelt Room, alongside SEC Chair Paul Atkins and CFTC Chair Mike Selig.
Trump touts U.S. dominance
Trump framed the gathering as a show of American strength in emerging financial technologies, telling the room:
“The people in this room are ensuring that the future of commercial markets is pioneered and perfected right here in the USA. We’re fighting a lot of other countries to control these markets, and to have these markets, and to profit – all the jobs and everything else created. We’re doing well. We’re leading in every aspect, including AI, and we’re leading by a lot – and we want to keep it that way.”
He also took aim at the previous administration’s stance on digital assets:
“Under the Crooked Joe Biden Administration, the spirit of innovation that built America was under serious attack like never before – and nowhere was that more true than crypto and other new financial technologies.”
New SEC token exemptions
The meeting came one day after the SEC proposed new rules that would provide exemptions for certain cryptocurrency token offerings, potentially making it easier for companies to issue tokens and raise capital.
These proposed exemptions mark a sharp shift from the enforcement-heavy posture of the agency under former Chair Gary Gensler.
CLARITY Act heads to Senate vote
Broader legislation governing digital asset markets remains pending in Congress.
A Senate vote on the CLARITY Act — formally the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025 — is scheduled for September 15.
The bill would establish clearer federal rules for cryptocurrencies by defining SEC and CFTC jurisdiction over digital assets.
Trump urged legislators to pass it, saying at the meeting:
“We’re delighted to welcome some of our nation’s brightest minds in finance, crypto, and technology ahead of the first-ever meeting of the CFTC’s Innovation Advisory Committee in Washington, D.C.”
