US President Donald Trump was reportedly manipulated by a lobbyist

US President Donald Trump was reportedly manipulated by a lobbyist tied to Ripple Labs into announcing the XRP token would be part of his plans

The report by Politico focused on how a persistent fibriller could have had disastrous consequences. The fibriller, who was working for pro-Trump lobbyist Brian Ballard, reportedly recommended that the president post a message on his social media platform announcing a US strategic crypto reserve. The fibriller also provided the president with the text for the post, which included a suggestion to add XRP, Solana (SOL), and Cardano (ADA) to the reserve.

After posting the message to his platform on March 2, Trump later learned that Ripple was one of Ballard’s clients, which reportedly enraged the president as he felt like he was being used, according to Politico.

“He is not welcome in anything anymore,” Trump said, referencing Ballard, according to the report.

According to the report, Trump had connections to Ripple long before the announcement of XRP in the proposed crypto reserve. The blockchain firm’s chief legal officer, Stuart Alderoty, donated more than $300,000 to fundraising and political action committees supporting Trump in the 2024 election, and both he and CEO Brad Garlinghouse met with the then-president-elect in January and attended inauguration events.

Ripple also donated $5 million worth of XRP to Trump’s presidential inaugural fund and has been one of the largest contributors to Fairshake, a political action committee (PAC) that supports those it considers “pro-crypto” candidates through media buys. A spokesperson for the PAC stated in January that it would continue its efforts in the 2026 midterm elections.

The president often uses his social media platform to suggest policies before any official announcement through the White House. Trump signed an executive order to create a “Digital Asset Stockpile” on March 6 — roughly four days after the post, which was still live at the time of publication.

The price of XRP did not appear to significantly react to the May 8 report. At the time of publication, it was $2.23, having risen roughly 5% in the previous 24 hours. Cointelegraph reached out to a Ripple spokesperson for comment, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.