After a challenging legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, San Francisco-based Ripple has witnessed a shift in momentum under President-elect Donald Trump’s pro-crypto stance. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said that the enterprise blockchain company has now started a hiring spree in the United States due to the crypto sector’s optimism about Trump’s inbound administration. This is a stunning reversal compared to the previous years, during which Ripple conducted most of the hiring overseas. Garlinghouse Touts “Trump Effect” Amid Surge In US Deals Brad Garlinghouse took to the X platform to share that Ripple is actively reorienting its business strategy to focus on the U.S. market. While the company focused much of its hiring over the last four years outside the U.S. due to the prolonged lawsuit with the SEC under the now-resigned Gary Gensler’s leadership , Garlinghouse said that 75% of Ripple’s open roles are now US-based. The Ripple boss attributed the shift to the “Trump effect” and the president-elect’s pro-crypto rhetoric. “Team Trump is already jumpstarting innovation and job growth in the US with Scott Bessent, David Sacks, Paul Atkin, and others at the helm — and they are not even in office yet! Say what you want, but the ‘Trump effect’ is already making crypto great again,” Garlinghouse wrote on Sunday. According to the Ripple boss, the company has also closed more deals and partnerships in the US since the Nov. 2024 election than in the previous six months. “For Ripple, this is even more personal after Gensler’s SEC effectively froze our business opportunities here at home for years,” opined Garlinghouse. “The optimism is obvious and very deserved.” Ripple’s Legal Brawl And Its Ramifications The SEC’s suit, unleashed in late December 2020, negatively affected Ripple’s business in the United States. Leading crypto exchanges delisted XRP and the firm lost important partnerships as many companies effectively distanced themselves from Ripple owing to the uncertainty arising from the case. Ripple was forced to shift over 80% of its operations abroad as a result. But with Trump set to return to the White House, Garlinghouse thinks the U.S. market offers new opportunities for Ripple , which could be key in the firm’s future growth. Since Trump won the Nov. 6 election against Democrat Kamala Harris, the crypto market has witnessed a strong upsurge that took the price of some crypto assets, such as Bitcoin, to new highs. For instance, during that period, Ripple-linked XRP surged by over 300% from 55 cents to as high as $2.70. Trump has promised to make the U.S. the “ crypto capital ” of the world, establish a strategic national BTC stockpile , and ensure all Bitcoin is mined in the United States . XRP was trading hands at just above $2.43, a +2.4% change on the day.
