Crypto: when Ripple infiltrates Mar-a-Lago

Donald Trump, master of political theater, found himself caught in his own game. Manipulated by a pro-XRP message, he unwittingly became the main actor in a crypto lobbying operation.

In the gilded cage of Mar-a-Lago, a drama is unfolding, bearing the signature of Donald Trump, master of political theater. But this time, the script has been manipulated, leading the former president into a game of crypto lobbying, with surprising and viral consequences.

As reported by The Block, an employee of Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm known for its sprawling contact book, is said to have pitched the idea of a strategic crypto reserve to support certain companies in the sector, including Ripple Labs (XRP). This proposal was later shared by Trump on his Truth Social account in March.

The mention of Ripple in Trump’s post is a pointed nod to the company’s flagship cryptocurrency, XRP, and it was no coincidence. The move was part of a crypto product placement operation disguised as a political message.

However, when Trump learned that the initiative belonged to Ballard Partners, and that Ripple was one of the firm’s clients, he flew into a rage. The president felt manipulated, and for him, Ballard had crossed the red line.

The star lobbyist, who is no longer welcome at the White House, was a close ally of the president.

For a man nicknamed the “Trump whisperer” in Washington, the fall is brutal. Ballard Partners, which had ridden the crypto-Trump wave to attract 130 clients and generate more than $14 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2025, sees its privileged access to power collapse.

This affair goes far beyond the Ballard case. It exposes a disturbing truth: the crypto sector has become a playground for the most dubious behind-the-scenes maneuvers.

It is not the first time private interests have tried to capture political attention through intermediaries. But here, the scheme is crude.

This power play by Ballard Partners, aiming to spotlight an influential crypto client, rekindles the debate on the independence of politicians from private interests. When a presidential message becomes a vector of influence for firms linked to cryptocurrencies, the line between public opinion and disguised promotion becomes blurred. What remains of political integrity in this theater of influence?

The post linked by Trump on his social network is still accessible today. It is a post about the creation of a strategic crypto reserve to support certain companies in the sector, including Ripple Labs.

In January, several months before the post, the CEO of Ripple, Brad Garlinghouse, expressed his opinion on the subject, arguing for an approach more representative of the crypto ecosystem.

At the time, Garlinghouse was opposed to the idea of a strategic reserve composed exclusively of bitcoin, as several figures in the Biden administration seemed to prefer.

“My view is that we need to be thinking broader than Bitcoin. I think it’s great that people are having this conversation about Bitcoin, but there are other technologies that are on the cutting edge and that we should be including in this discussion,” he stated in an interview with Blockworks.

The post by Trump and the statements by Garlinghouse are separated by several months, and the CEO of Ripple was not accused of being the instigator of the post. However, the timing and content of their statements create an interesting parallel.

The post by Trump, which was shared by an employee of Ballard Partners, mentions the need to support American companies in the crypto sector, which is in line with Garlinghouse’s vision of a more inclusive strategic reserve.

This convergence of opinions and the temporal spacing of their statements raise questions about the potential indirect influence on lobbying circles close to the president.

Or perhaps it was an opportunity seized by zealous intermediaries to pass a message aligned with this crypto vision.

The striking aspect of this affair is the reaction of Donald Trump, who was furious to discover that the initiative came from a firm that was paid by Ripple to lobby the president.

According to several sources close to the case, Trump felt manipulated by the employee of Ballard Partners, who had deceived him by presenting the post as his own idea.

The president was particularly angry because he had personally authorized the lobbyist, who is a close friend and a regular at Mar-a-Lago, to intervene in his name.

This abuse, which involved a president easily manipulated by lobbyists and a cryptocurrency company attempting to gain attention through a disguised marketing operation, is a perfect example of the decadence of the American political system.

It also highlights the urgent need for greater transparency and accountability in the cryptocurrency industry, which is increasingly seeking institutional recognition.

This affair, which began with an employee of Ballard Partners pitching the idea of a strategic crypto reserve to support certain companies in the sector, including Ripple Labs, is a blatant display of private interests attempting to capture political attention through intermediaries.

The post, which Trump shared on his social network,