Trump’s first White House Crypto Summit has VIPs pushing for favorable laws
Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase, slammed the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. He also said the cryptocurrency exchange is looking to invest more outside of the U.S.
Carlos Jasso | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Now that President Trump has announced plans for a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, crypto industry leaders can focus on what else they want to hear from the new administration on Friday.
Just over six weeks into his second White House term, Trump is hosting his first Crypto Summit, a nod to an industry that played a major role in his election victory in November. No executive was more central to that effort than Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong.
Once a Silicon Valley entrepreneur focused on onboarding the world to digital assets, Armstrong has spent the last year transforming himself into crypto’s ambassador in Washington, D.C., funneling millions into elections, building alliances, and ensuring the digital currencies market has a seat at the table.
“My goal in attending this is really just, first of all, to thank President Trump for helping make the United States the crypto capital of the world,” Armstrong told CNBC ahead of the meeting. “I think he’s lived up to that campaign promise so far, and we’ve seen a lot of work getting done here in a positive way.”
Joining Armstrong at Friday’s summit, which is being led by White House AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks, will be Strategy Chairman Michael Saylor, Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev, and Chainlink’s Sergey Nazarov, among others. They’re planning to discuss digital asset regulation as well as the mechanics of the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, which Trump announced late Thursday by way of executive order.
Armstrong, whose company helped the crypto sector raise and direct $250 million into the 2024 election cycle, outpacing Wall Street banks and the oil industry, has been instrumental in shaping the new administration’s approach to digital assets. Crypto’s push to unseat opposition lawmakers and install pro-crypto candidates paid off handsomely, flipping key seats and cementing the sector as a major political force in Washington.
Several million dollars were funneled directly to Trump’s campaign and inaugural fund, a sign of just how much was riding on his victory.
At Friday’s summit, Armstrong says his top priority will be pushing forward new laws.
“From our point of view, the next step in the United States that’s the most urgent is getting legislation passed,” he said. He specifically pointed to stablecoin regulation and broader market structure reforms.
Momentum for regulatory clarity is already shifting in crypto’s favor. The Senate this week voted, with strong bipartisan support, to overturn two Biden-era regulations that the industry opposed. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-TX, called the wins a gateway for more comprehensive legislation.
Crypto’s wish list
For Sergey Nazarov, co-founder of Chainlink, a key issue is how the U.S. can use blockchain technology to maintain its dominance in global finance.
“Really what matters for financial systems is assets,” said Nazarov, whose company provides a blockchain-based platform for digital assets. “Does the U.S. generate the largest collection of the best base assets that are then wrapped, rewrapped, and repackaged by others? That’s how I define global leadership of a financial system in this new model.”
Nazarov said the U.S. must ensure that key financial markets – treasuries, investment funds, and real estate – are tokenized. He sees that as the defining financial shift of the next 50 years, similar to the move from paper-based markets to internet-based financial products.
Robinhood’s Tenev has emerged as one of the most vocal advocates for tokenization, arguing that blockchain technology can democratize private markets and break down barriers to investment in the world’s most valuable companies. In a Washington Post op-ed, he pointed out that companies like OpenAI, SpaceX, and Stripe are worth hundreds of billions of dollars combined but remain inaccessible to everyday investors, with profits concentrated among a small group of insiders.
“Crypto technology can unlock new ways to trade and invest in all assets, from digital to real-world,” he told CNBC ahead of the event. “Tokenization will transform investing, but we need regulatory clarity to make it happen.”
Under current SEC rules, only accredited investors, people with over $1 million in net worth or $200,000 in annual income, can participate in private markets. Tenev says that reforming these outdated rules and creating a security token registration framework would level the playing field for retail investors, giving them access to high-growth opportunities that have long been reserved for venture capitalists.
Robinhood CEO and co-founder Vlad Tenev and co-founder Baiju Bhatt pose with Robinhood signage on Wall Street after the company’s initial public offering in New York City on July 29, 2021.
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
Prior to Thursday’s executive order, the big debate in the industry was what kind of strategic reserve Trump would propose. The announcement ends speculation over whether the reserve would include multiple cryptocurrencies. While Trump’s initial post on Truth Social named five tokens — bitcoin, ether, XRP, Solana’s SOL token and Cardano’s ADA coin — the final order limits the reserve to bitcoin.
SOL, ether and bitcoin all fell around 5% late Thursday, while ADA plunged nearly 12%.
The order marks the U.S. government’s first formal recognition of bitcoin as a strategic asset. The reserve will be funded exclusively through bitcoin seized in criminal and civil forfeiture cases, ensuring taxpayers bear no financial burden.
Non-bitcoin assets will be placed in a separate Digital Asset Stockpile managed by the Treasury Department.
Nic Carter of Castle Island Ventures said the decision cements bitcoin’s status as a global asset, “somewhere in the realm of gold.”
Anchorage Digital CEO Nathan McCauley, who will also be at Friday’s summit, called the development “a huge moment for both crypto and American leadership on the global stage.”
“By holding bitcoin and other digital assets for the long term, the White House is taking a future-forward approach to bolstering American economic competitiveness — not just for the decade ahead, but for the next century,” said McCauley.
The bitcoin audit
For David Bailey, CEO of BTC Inc. and one of the key figures credited with influencing Trump’s embrace of bitcoin, the priority is understanding the size of the country’s bitcoin ownership.
“One is to figure out how much bitcoin America holds, and what we can do as an industry to help the government secure it,” he said.
The Treasury Department must now conduct a full audit of the government’s holdings, estimated at 200,000 bitcoin. Sacks confirmed that the government will not sell any bitcoin from the reserve, positioning it as a permanent store of value.
Bailey, who convinced Trump to keynote the biggest bitcoin conference of the year in Nashville in July, is also pushing for bitcoin-backed Treasury bonds, arguing that integrating bitcoin into the U.S. debt system could strengthen the country’s balance sheet and attract more buyers.
“If we mix bitcoin reserves with U.S. bonds, we could create significant demand by giving investors exposure to bitcoin’s performance,” he said.
Armstrong told CNBC that Coinbase would “absolutely” step up to be a crypto custodian for the government in the context of a national reserve, adding that the company already works with various parts of the government on crypto custody and trading.
“We’re always happy to continue doing that,” Armstrong said.
Ryan Gilbert, a fintech investor, said the reserve will send a strong message to institutions that bitcoin is here to stay.
“We’re also seeing that this is going to be the mirror image of a lot of corporations that have looked at their treasuries and started to invest in bitcoin,” he said, pointing to Saylor and Strategy as early adopters. “I think this will spark a whole new wave of confidence in the asset, both from corporations and the U.S. government.”
Saylor’s company has amassed a roughly $43 billion stash of bitcoin, accounting for almost all of its market cap.
“I think this executive order is well considered and auspicious for the United States, the crypto industry, and bitcoin,” Saylor told CNBC.
The move faces some pressure from Democrats. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, sent a letter to Sacks ahead of the meeting, raising conflict-of-interest concerns and questioning whether Sacks had advance knowledge of Trump’s Truth Social post that initially floated a multi-coin strategic reserve.
Warren called on Sacks to disclose any financial holdings in bitcoin, ether, solana, and other assets included in the reserve, noting that his firm, Craft Ventures, was heavily invested in these tokens through Bitwise as of Jan. 1. She also pressed for public disclosure of his government ethics filings, which, as an unpaid special government employee, he has to file but isn’t required to make public.
Sacks said this week on X that he sold “all my cryptocurrency and my crypto-focused funds” before joining the administration.
After the summit, many of the attendees will regroup at an off-the-record event hosted by Coinbase, along with invited members of the administration. Armstrong is gearing up to play the long game.
“The fight for crypto here is more urgent than ever,” Armstrong said. “If the U.S. leads on this front, I think the rest of the G20 could be pretty inspired by it, and that has a lot of domino effects downstream.”
Element3 just raised a fresh round of funding to launch the first US commercial lithium extraction plants, and it’s sourcing the lithium from oil and gas wastewater in Texas. That’s a big deal because it means there will be a domestic lithium supply for EVs and battery storage within a few months.
The critical materials extraction company announced the close of its Series A funding round led by TO VC. Fort Worth, Texas-based Element3 will use the money to deploy its first extraction plants on oil and gas company Double Eagle Energy Holding’s water infrastructure in the Permian Basin by the end of 2025. That means Element3 will become the first new lithium extraction player in the US to reach commercialization, with its first commercial shipments expected by year-end.
Element3’s breakthrough technology pulls battery-grade lithium from the Permian Basin’s produced water, turning a waste stream from oil and gas drilling into a valuable domestic resource. With a lithium carbonate plant already installed in the region, the company says its vertically integrated setup is ready to supply lithium for the US energy transition.
“This funding accelerates our mission to build American lithium independence from the ground up,” said Hood Whitson, Element3’s founder and CEO. “While other US projects are still in planning and years away from production, we’re bringing our plants online now and shipping product this year. Using existing oilfield infrastructure, we can move faster, cleaner, and at a fraction of the cost.”
The US oil and gas industry produces over 1 trillion gallons of wastewater annually, containing an estimated 250,000 tons of lithium carbonate – more than half the country’s projected supply gap by 2030. By tapping into that wastewater, Element3 avoids many challenges that delay conventional lithium mining, such as lengthy permitting, land disruption, and high carbon emissions. Instead, it uses existing infrastructure, turning waste into a new, low-carbon supply stream.
Recovering lithium from wastewater is significantly more environmentally friendly than conventional mining. It doesn’t require digging new pits, evaporating vast ponds, or consuming large amounts of fresh water. It also eliminates the need to transport raw materials internationally, helping reduce emissions tied to global supply chains.
“So much capital has gone into onshoring battery manufacturing, but far less into securing the upstream supply of lithium itself,” said Joshua Phitoussi, managing partner at TO VC. “Traditional mining takes billions and more than a decade to bring online. Element3’s approach is faster, cheaper, and uses an already abundant resource. This means that Element3 will be the first [direct lithium extraction] company to get to commercial scale, and could become a top three domestic lithium producer within the next three years.”
Read more: A $1.2B battery-grade lithium refinery breaks ground in Oklahoma
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The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced it will spend $625 million to “expand and reinvigorate” the US coal industry, claiming it will boost energy production and help rural communities. Energy Secretary Chris Wright praised “beautiful, clean coal” as “essential to powering America’s reindustrialization and winning the AI race.”
The Trump administration argues this spending will keep aging coal plants running, lower electricity costs, and prevent blackouts. But this so-called coal revival plan wastes millions when clean energy is cheaper and growing at a breakneck pace.
What the $625 million will fund
According to the DOE press release, the funds will prop up coal-fired power plants through several programs:
- $350 million to restart or upgrade old coal plants, improving their capacity and reliability.
- $175 million for projects bringing power to rural areas, aiming to deliver cheaper, more reliable coal-fired electricity.
- $50 million to upgrade coal plant wastewater systems, reducing water pollution and extending plant life.
- $25 million for “dual-firing” retrofits, so plants can switch between coal and other fuels like natural gas.
- $25 million to develop 100% natural gas co-firing, keeping boilers running efficiently if a plant uses gas instead of coal.
Wright claims these DOE coal investments will “keep electricity prices low and the lights on without interruption.” He also touted coal as the “backbone” of industries like steel and cement, insisting it’s “necessary to feed the AI boom.” In short, the administration is betting that propping up coal now will secure US energy supply for factories and data centers.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum also said at a press conference in Washington that 13.1 million acres of federal land will be opened up in Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming for coal leasing.
‘This is a colossal waste of money’
Environmental experts and clean energy advocates blasted the DOE’s coal plan as wasteful, polluting, and economically foolish. “The Trump administration is hell-bent on supporting one of the oldest, dirtiest electricity sources. It’s handing our hard-earned tax dollars over to the owners of plants that cost more to run than new, clean energy, while giving those plants a free pass to keep polluting,” said Amanda Levin, policy analyst at NRDC. “Propping up coal means dirtier air and water, destruction of public lands, and higher utility bills for struggling families… This is a colossal waste of money at a time when the federal government should be spurring on new energy sources that can power the AI boom and help bring down utility bills.”
Levin’s frustration is echoed by others. The Sierra Club warned that continuing to subsidize coal will lead to “skyrocketing bills,” worse health outcomes, and a “decaying environment.” The Environmental Defense Fund noted that modern clean energy like solar, wind, and battery storage is now cheaper and faster to deploy – the real solution for powering a high-tech economy affordably. Critics argue that pouring more money into coal props up “dirty, uncompetitive plants from the last century” instead of investing in 21st-century energy.
Coal’s decline vs. clean energy’s rise
The backlash is fueled by coal’s sharp decline in the US power mix. Coal generated only about 15% of US electricity in 2024, down from 50% in 2000, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), as cheap natural gas and booming solar and wind power have eaten away coal’s market share. No new US coal plants are planned, and dozens of aging coal plants are slated for retirement in the next few years due to high costs and old age. In fact, wind and solar produced more electricity than coal in the US last year for the first time ever, and the EIA reported last week that wind and solar combined provided 19% more electricity than did coal during the first seven months of 2025.
Against that backdrop, pouring hundreds of millions into coal flies in the face of market trends and climate urgency. Analysts are skeptical that the DOE’s coal push will change coal’s long-term outlook, calling it at best a short-term boost for a “zombie” industry that can’t compete in the long run.
Electrek’s Take
Spending $625 million to revive coal – the dirtiest, most carbon-heavy energy source – is a ridiculous move when clean energy is cleaner and cheaper. It’s an especially hypocritical move given that just last week, Wright canceled $13 billion of funding for renewable energy projects and dismissed renewables’ need for federal subsidies at a press conference, saying:
If you can’t rock on your own after 33 years, maybe that’s not a business that’s going places.
Guess it slipped Wright’s mind that US fossil fuels already receive about $760 billion a year in federal subsidies, according to the International Monetary Fund, after nearly two centuries of government support. And just days later, he’s handing hundreds of millions more in taxpayer dollars to a dying coal industry that isn’t “rocking on its own.”
This hefty taxpayer-funded handout is highly unlikely to reverse coal’s decades-long decline, but it could slow cleaner investments and keep polluting plants on life support. At a time when the government “should be spurring new energy sources to power the AI boom,” funneling money into dirty 19th-century fuel is an embarrassing, damaging throwback.
Read more: The oil shill running the Energy Dept. just banned the words ‘climate change’
The 30% federal solar tax credit is ending this year. If you’ve ever considered going solar, now’s the time to act. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
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A few years ago, it was basically a Tesla, Nissan Leaf, or Chevy Bolt if you were looking for a used electric vehicle. Nowadays, you can buy used Toyota, Ford, Hyundai, Chevy, or Honda EVs for about the same, or even less than, gas-powered cars.
Is now the time to buy used EVs?
Used EVs are now the fastest-selling cars in the US. A record 40,960 used electric vehicles were sold in the US in August, according to Cox Automotive, up 59% from the same month in 2024.
Despite also hitting a new record in August with 146,332 units sold, new EV sales increased by only 17.7% compared to last year.
With the federal tax credit of $7,500 for new and $4,000 for used EVs set to expire on September 30, buyers are rushing to lock in the savings.
So, why are used EVs flying off the lot compared to new models? For one, there are so many more options to choose from. Used electric vehicles from Ford, Volkswagen, BMW, Toyota, and Honda are starting to appear at dealerships across the US.
In 2022, a flood of new options, like the Ford F-150 Lightning, Toyota bZ4X, Cadillac Lyriq, and BMW i4, launched in the US. Since many buyers opt for a three-year lease, these same EVs are now hitting the used market.
Perhaps, even more importantly, the price is comparable to that of a similar gas-powered car, but it typically offers significantly more.
The price premium over used ICE vehicles is now just $897, the lowest on record. In fact, 14 makes had a lower average EV price than their gas-powered counterpart.
The top five selling used EVs, the Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model Y, Chevy Bolt EV, Tesla Model S, and Ford Mustang Mach-E, were all priced below the market average. Tesla’s Model 3 led used EV sales with an average price of $23,278, while the Nissan LEAF ($12,890) and Chevy Bolt ($14,705) remained the most affordable.
Cox Automotive expects another strong month for both used and new EV sales, with the IRA tax credit expiring at the end of September. How automakers react with price changes and incentives will impact sales through the end of 2025.
Since electric vehicles have fewer moving parts, require little maintenance, and offer more advanced software, safety, and connectivity technology, the new wave of used models may be your best bet for an affordable EV.
With models like the Honda Prologue, Hyundai IONIQ 5, and Chevy Equinox EV leading the way in new EV sales, more used EVs are already starting to hit the market. The top six selling new EVs in August were the Tesla Model Y, Model 3, Honda Prologue, Chevy Equinox EV, Hyundai IONIQ 5, and Ford Mustang Mach-E.
There are still two days left to grab the EV savings. If you’re curious, you can use the links below to see what’s available in your area.
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