Mike Johnson Not Knowing 'Anything' About Trump Crypto Dinner Sparks Fury
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House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, sparked backlash on social media on Sunday after he said during a Sunday morning TV interview that he didn't know "anything" about a crypto dinner hosted by President Donald Trump last week.
Newsweek has reached out Johnson's office for further comment on Sunday.
Why It Matters
Trump hosted more than 200 top investors in his personal $TRUMP meme coin on Thursday night at an exclusive, high-profile dinner at his private golf club in Sterling, Virginia. Some analysts say Trump's ownership of this coin creates a potential conflict of interest amid his support of the cryptocurrency industry at large.
The coin, which launched in January 2025, currently has a market cap of about $2.5 billion. The event rewarded the largest investors in his cryptocurrency venture, something that even some ardent "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) allies have raised concerns over.
What To Know
Johnson, a Trump ally, was asked about the recent crypto dinner during a Sunday interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on State of the Union. The House speaker largely dodged the question, saying he didn't know "anything" about the event.
"I really have a difficult time imagining that if this was a Democratic president doing the exact same thing, you wouldn't be outraged," Tapper told the GOP leader.
"Look, I don't know anything about the dinner. I was a little busy this past week...so I'm not going to comment on something I haven't even heard about," Johnson responded. "I'm not sure who was there or what the purpose was."
In a follow up, Tapper pressed him on how he previously raised significant concerns about Hunter Biden's alleged business ties to his father, former President Joe Biden, even launching an investigation. "You seemed to think it was your responsibility to look into this sort of thing then," the CNN host said.
"Important distinction," Johnson replied. "The Biden crime family, as they were named, earned that title. Why? Because they used shell companies, fake LLCs, in what appeared to be money laundering operations...President Trump does everything out in the open."
Hunter Biden was investigated extensively for shady business ties and has been widely accused of attempting to sell access to his father during his time as vice president. He was convicted of a crime and his uncle James Biden, the former president's brother, was investigated by Republicans who urged the Justice Department to launch a probe. President Biden pardoned them both, along with other family members, before leaving office.
Joe Biden has consistently denied any wrongdoing or involvement with his family members criminal activity. Despite investigations by Republicans, the former president's direct involvement in their various business schemes was not established.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, accompanied by President Donald Trump, speaks to members of the media as they depart from the U.S. Capitol on May 20 in Washington, D.C.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, accompanied by President Donald Trump, speaks to members of the media as they depart from the U.S. Capitol on May 20 in Washington, D.C.What People Are Saying About Johnson
Ron Filipkowski, the editor-in-chief of MeidasTouch, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, sharing a clip of Johnson's interview: "When faced with obvious and blatant corruption, the leaders of the Republican Party in Congress simply choose to look the other way and ignore it. The only way to end this and restore some oversight is to vote out House Republicans."
Journalist Mehdi Hasan, formerly an MSNBC host, wrote on X: "Ah top congressional Republicans are back to 'I am pretending not to know about this huge Trump scandal that everyone is talking about so I don't have to comment on it' deflection strategy that they deployed in the first Trump term and I guess our media will let them use it again."
Journalist James Surowiecki wrote on X: "Mike Johnson continues to insist that Trump's corruption is fine because he's openly corrupt."
Neera Tanden, a former Biden administration official, wrote on X: "If I tweeted about this, maybe Mike Johnson would see it."
The X account "Republicans against Trump," which has over 900,000 followers on the social media platform, shared a clip and simply wrote: "Shameless."
What People Are Saying About the Crypto Dinner
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt to reporters last week: "All of the president's assets are in a blind trust, which is managed by his children. And I would argue that one of the many reasons that the American people reelected this president back to this office is because he was a very successful businessman before giving it up to publicly serve as our president."
She added: "The president is abiding by all conflict-of-interest laws that are applicable to the president... The American public believe it's absurd for anyone to insinuate that this president is profiting off of the presidency."
Senator Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, to CNN last week: "Forty percent of Trump's entire net worth today is due to these two crypto coins that he just launched months ago...All of this money is going straight into his pocket. He is trading U.S. policy to get paid."
Nicholas Pinto, a crypto investor who attended the dinner, to CNBC last week: "The food sucked. Wasn't given any drinks other than water or Trump's wine. I don't drink, so I had water. My glass was only filled once."
Pinto added: "He [Trump] didn't talk to any of the 220 guests—maybe the top 25."
What Happens Next?
Democrats and critics of the Trump administration will continue to raise concerns about his personal crypto ventures as well as his other business deals. Republican leaders will likely continue to face questions about these concerns.
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