Not just $Trump: Several top administration officials have put their money into crypto
There's something that several top Trump administration officials have in common: They've poured thousands of dollars into cryptocurrency.
While much has been made of President Donald Trump's own involvement with crypto, financial disclosures show that several of his top advisors and Cabinet officials also have substantial cryptocurrency investments.
That includes Vice President JD Vance, who owns bitcoin worth between $250,000 and $500,000. Officials are generally only required to disclose the range of the value of their assets, so we don't know the exact amount.
At the Bitcoin 2025 Conference in Las Vegas last month, Vance described himself as "one only people running for office who actually owned bitcoin" when he ran for Senate in Ohio in 2022. "I still own a fair amount of bitcoin today," he said.
Among Cabinet officials, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may be the largest holder of Bitcoin: he reported owning between $1 million and $5 million in the cryptocurrency in his December disclosure.
Others hold at least hundreds of thousands of dollars in crypto. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy reported owning between $502,000 and $1.3 million in various cryptocurrencies, while Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz reported holding between $500,000 and $1 million in bitcoin.
Todd Blanche, a former personal defense attorney for Trump who now serves as Deputy US Attorney General, reported owning between $158,000 and $470,000 in various cryptocurrencies, primarily bitcoin. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also owns between $15,000 and $50,000 in bitcoin.
Some Cabinet officials are invested in Bitcoin funds, which track the performance of Bitcoin without involving direct ownership. Among them is Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who disclosed having between $250,000 and $500,000 in such a fund. Oz and Duffy also invested in bitcoin funds in addition to their direct crypto holdings.
Other top officials used to own cryptocurrencies but agreed to sell them off. That includes Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, who reported owning between $33,000 and $145,000 in various cryptocurrencies, primarily bitcoin, which she sold off on May 13.
Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought agreed to divest his holdings of up to $15,000 in bitcoin, while FBI Director Kash Patel agreed to sell off his investments in bitcoin ETFs, which were worth between $51,000 and $115,000.
"President Trump, Vice President Vance, and senior White House staff have completed required ethics briefings and financial reporting obligations," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement for this story. "The Trump Administration is committed to transparency and accessibility for the American people."
Ultimately, Trump remains the biggest cryptocurrency investor in his administration.
His most recent financial disclosure shows he made more than $53 million from cryptocurrency sales last year in connection with World Liberty Financial, a crypto firm that's majority-owned by Trump and his family.
Trump launched a meme-coin, $Trump, in the days before his second inauguration in January.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
18 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Appeals court lets President Donald Trump keep control of National Guard troops deployed to Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES — An appeals court on Thursday allowed President Donald Trump to keep control of National Guard troops he deployed to Los Angeles following protests over immigration raids. The decision halts a ruling from a lower court judge who found Trump acted illegally when he activated the soldiers over opposition from California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The deployment was the first by a president of a state National Guard without the governor's permission since 1965. In its decision, a three-judge panel on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously concluded it was likely Trump lawfully exercised his authority in federalizing control of the guard. It said that while presidents don't have unfettered power to seize control of a state's guard, the Trump administration had presented enough evidence to show it had a defensible rationale for doing so, citing violent acts by protesters. 'The undisputed facts demonstrate that before the deployment of the National Guard, protesters 'pinned down' several federal officers and threw 'concrete chunks, bottles of liquid, and other objects' at the officers. Protesters also damaged federal buildings and caused the closure of at least one federal building. And a federal van was attacked by protesters who smashed in the van's windows,' the court wrote. 'The federal government's interest in preventing incidents like these is significant.' It also found that even if the federal government failed to notify the governor of California before federalizing the National Guard as required by law, Newsom had no power to veto the president's order. Trump celebrated the decision on his Truth Social platform, calling it a 'BIG WIN.' He wrote that 'all over the United States, if our Cities, and our people, need protection, we are the ones to give it to them should State and Local Police be unable, for whatever reason, to get the job done.' Newsom issued a statement that expressed disappointment that the court is allowing Trump to retain control of the Guard. But he also welcomed one aspect of the decision. 'The court rightly rejected Trump's claim that he can do whatever he wants with the National Guard and not have to explain himself to a court,' Newsom said. 'The President is not a king and is not above the law. We will press forward with our challenge to President Trump's authoritarian use of U.S. military soldiers against citizens.' The court case could have wider implications on the president's power to deploy soldiers within the United States after Trump directed immigration officials to prioritize deportations from other Democratic-run cities. Trump, a Republican, argued that the troops were necessary to restore order. Newsom, a Democrat, said the move inflamed tensions, usurped local authority and wasted resources. The protests have since appeared to be winding down. Two judges on the appeals panel were appointed by Trump during his first term. During oral arguments Tuesday, all three judges suggested that presidents have wide latitude under the federal law at issue and that courts should be reluctant to step in. The case started when Newsom sued to block Trump's command, and he won an early victory from U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco. Breyer found that Trump had overstepped his legal authority, which he said only allows presidents can take control during times of 'rebellion or danger of a rebellion.' 'The protests in Los Angeles fall far short of 'rebellion,'' wrote Breyer, who was appointed by former President Bill Clinton and is brother to retired Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer. The Trump administration, though, argued that courts can't second guess the president's decisions and quickly secured a temporary halt from the appeals court. The ruling means control of the California National Guard will stay in federal hands as the lawsuit continues to unfold.
Business Wire
22 minutes ago
- Business Wire
Belgravia Hartford Announces Additional Bitcoin Purchases and Growing Bitcoin Treasury
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BELGRAVIA HARTFORD CAPITAL INC. (CSE:BLGV)(OTC:BLGVF)(FRA:ECA) (' Company ' or ' Belgravia ') is pleased to announce it has completed two further Bitcoin (' BTC ') purchases enhancing the value and credibility of Belgravia's Bitcoin treasury strategy. Belgravia increases Bitcoin treasury position. Belgravia Treasury Bitcoin Purchase Belgravia today announces that it has used cash-on-hand, derived from the exercise of previously issued convertible securities by shareholders to purchase an additional 1.5316351 BTC for a total purchase price of USD $160,842.59 at an average price of USD $105,013.65 per BTC inclusive of all costs and fees. This results in Belgravia's total BTC treasury now totaling 6.39316479 BTC at an average cost of USD $103,367.05 per BTC. The purchases were again made via Coinsquare's regulated OTC trading desk with Company funds and not funded through the previously announced USD $5 million credit facility (the Facility) provided by Round13 Digital Asset Fund L.P. (Round13 DAF) for the Belgravia BTC treasury acquisitions as previously announced on May 28, 2025. The Company intends to continue using the Facility when determined in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders. Mehdi Azodi, CEO of Belgravia stated: 'We remain fully engaged with Round 13 DAF our strategic advisors, we will collaborate closely to determine the best times to drawdown on the Facility as well as when to use Belgravia's own capital – including future financing options and opportunities as we pursue our 100% BTC treasury strategy.' Mr. Azodi continued, 'As a micro-cap, we have determined regularly adding BTC to the balance sheet is our best use and store of funds, and that such activity is currently imperative for accretive growth in shareholder value. We will continue to drawdown on the Facility where needed, but these recent purchases were with Company funds. We intend to continue using Company funds for BTC purchases by way of ongoing cash injections from the exercise of existing and already issued convertible securities.' Bitcoin Advisory Team Belgravia is also pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Joey Cacciatore as Director of Bitcoin Strategy. Mr. Cacciatore brings deep conviction and a long-term vision to Belgravia's Bitcoin treasury mandate, further strengthening the leadership in digital asset strategy. Mr. Cacciatore's family owns and operates Lakeside Bank, a respected financial institution based in Chicago, bringing additional financial insight and credibility to Belgravia and the Bitcoin-focused capital strategy. Mehdi Azodi further commented: 'Mr. Cacciatore's credibility and extensive network across the financial and media sectors represent a valuable asset to Belgravia, I am delighted to welcome Mr. Cacciatore to Belgravia's Bitcoin advisory team.'
Hamilton Spectator
25 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Pope Leo XIV flags AI impact on kids' intellectual and spiritual development
ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV warned Friday that artificial intelligence could negatively impact the intellectual, neurological and spiritual development of young people as he pressed one of the priorities of his young pontificate. History's first American pope sent a message to a conference of AI and ethics, part of which was taking place in the Vatican in a sign of the Holy See's concern for the new technologies and what they mean for humanity. In the message, Leo said any further development of AI must be evaluated according to the 'superior ethical criterion' of the need to safeguard the dignity of each human being while respecting the diversity of the world's population. He warned specifically that new generations are most at risk given they have never had such quick access to information. 'All of us, I am sure, are concerned for children and young people, and the possible consequences of the use of AI on their intellectual and neurological development,' he said in the message. 'Society's well-being depends upon their being given the ability to develop their God-given gifts and capabilities,' and not allow them to confuse mere access to data with intelligence. 'In the end, authentic wisdom has more to do with recognizing the true meaning of life, than with the availability of data,' he said. Leo, who was elected in May after the death of Pope Francis, has identified AI as one of the most critical matters facing humanity, saying it poses challenges to defending human dignity, justice and labor. He has explained his concern for AI by invoking his namesake, Pope Leo XIII . That Leo was pope during the dawn of the Industrial Revolution and made the plight of workers, and the need to guarantee their rights and dignity, a key priority. Toward the end of his pontificate, Francis became increasingly vocal about the threats to humanity posed by AI and called for an international treaty to regulate it. Francis said politicians must take the lead in making sure AI remains human-centric, so that decisions about when to use weapons or even less-lethal tools always remain made by humans and not machines. ___ Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP's collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
