White House Rejects Crypto Bill Targeting Trump

• White House draws red lines against crypto legislation targeting the president or family members.
• Administration frames crypto bill as part of broader push for US tech leadership.
• Officials warn that failure to act risks pushing digital finance innovation offshore.

The White House will not support a sweeping cryptocurrency market structure bill if it singles out President Donald Trump or his family members, according to a senior administration adviser involved in the negotiations.

Patrick Witt, the executive director of the President’s Council for Advisors for Digital Assets, said the administration has communicated clear boundaries to lawmakers as talks continue over what could become the most significant digital-asset legislation to date.

“We’ve made clear that there are red lines. We’re not going to allow the targeting of the president individually or his family members,” Witt told CoinDesk. 

A Broader Push for Innovation-Friendly Policy

Witt framed the administration’s stance as part of a wider effort to position the United States as a global leader in emerging technologies. While rejecting the label of being “pro-crypto” in isolation, he described the White House as broadly pro-innovation, extending across artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, and financial technology.

“This is a pro-innovation administration,” Witt said. “We want these technologies built at home. That requires foundational legislation that provides regulatory certainty without being overly burdensome.”

He argued that the crypto market structure bill represents a critical moment, as a new global financial architecture is already taking shape. Failure to act, he warned, could push innovation offshore.

“If we don’t meet this moment,” Witt said, “this will continue to be built—just not in America.”

Ethics Proposals Spark Pushback

One of the most contentious elements in the negotiations has been ethics-related language addressing crypto holdings by senior government officials and their families.

Witt said early proposals went too far, effectively barring spouses and family members from participating in the crypto sector entirely, including holding executive roles or engaging in lawful activity.

“That initial proposal was completely outrageous,” he said. “You don’t solve ethics concerns by banning entire families from an industry.”

The administration maintains that reasonable guardrails are acceptable, but it will not agree to provisions that single out individuals or family members for blanket restrictions.

Signs of Bipartisan Movement

Despite the tensions, Witt expressed optimism that a compromise remains possible. He said several Democratic lawmakers have taken a more pragmatic approach, focusing on building a workable regulatory framework rather than punitive provisions.

The goal, he said, is to make digital assets a regulated part of the financial system, not to introduce narrowly targeted rules that fail to address broader market realities.

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