President Donald Trump’s announcement of a U.S. Crypto Strategic Reserve, with cryptocurrencies such as XRP, Solana (SOL), and Cardano (ADA), has drawn sharp criticism from Bitcoin advocates and financial experts. While making the announcement, the President said the Crypto Strategic Reserve is meant to strengthen the crypto industry, which he claims was weakened under the previous administration. Upon announcement, XRP, SOL, and ADA steamed to impressive price pulls, which triggered direct market reciprocations. XRP is up 37%, SOL has increased by 23%, and ADA has soared 68%. Bitcoin Advocates are not happy with the reserve’s composition Samson Mow wrote on his X that Bitcoin might be up, but it’s a sad day for America if they actually shitcoin at a nation-state level. He added that he wasn’t surprised, though, with Trump having launched a meme coin. Critics accused Trump of being swayed by some corporate-backed cryptocurrencies, which they claim oppose the spirit of decentralization. The list of those cryptocurrencies, which includes XRP, Solana, and Cardano, was called misleading. They cautioned that it could mislead investors and that this counsel could divert their focus from Bitcoin’s potential as a store of value. Some financial analysts said that a national crypto reserve could become an indicator of skepticism about the long-term viability of the U.S. dollar. The rationale is that the government would inadvertently endanger faith in the real financial system by having a basket of digital assets in the national reserves. Others cautioned that targeting specific cryptocurrencies could create legal and regulatory migraines for the FTX Group, particularly since many digital assets have been the subject of debate about whether they should be classified as securities. However, as complaints mounted, the reserve advocates defended their action, arguing that support for and inclusion of a diverse set of cryptocurrencies would stimulate greater innovation across the blockchain ecosystem. They said that while Bitcoin dominated, it was not exclusive, and a broader variety of tokens could facilitate a more dynamic and adaptable future of finance. Trump’s announcement might be more political than economic Beyond its economic implications, several political analysts view Trump’s announcement as a bid to court crypto investors, developers, and entrepreneurs as part of a broader campaign plan. They said that as the crypto industry matures and grows into a powerful political and financial bloc, opposition to the rising tide of crypto is alienating voters on some level. If Trump can convince voters that he is a pro-crypto leader, he will garner votes from a base group frustrated by and fighting against recent regulatory action targeting digital assets. Yet, Bitcoin community members were not convinced by the political motives of what they considered a grassroots initiative. They argued that the reserve’s structure looked less like a carefully constructed economic policy and more like it was trying to buy certain blockchain communities’ goodwill. Others see the move as improving the options for Treasury Reserves and point out that Texas is one of the states most active with Bitcoin at the level of the states, so it shouldn’t be a stretch to make the case that Bitcoin should be the closer target cryptocurrency to be included in Treasury holdings. The contrast between the multi-asset approach of the federal government and the Bitcoin-only strategy embraced by certain states reflects deeper ideological divinations in the U.S. cryptocurrency space. In working to propose the White House Crypto Summit, the Trump administration has expressed interest in discussing digital asset national financial policy with leading policymakers and industry figures. Whether the Crypto Strategic Reserve is a permanent policy or a political manoeuvre relative to the current political moment remains unclear. The plan has provoked strong sentiment from other parts of the financial community — Bitcoin maximalists don’t like it, advocates of so-called altcoins embrace it, and critics say it’s a terrible idea whose long-term fatigue will eventually become apparent. While debate rages, one thing is sure: the role of cryptocurrency in U.S. financial policy is changing quickly. Whether the Crypto Strategic Reserve is a laudable leap toward innovation or a harebrained economic experiment will take some time to determine; how the fund is implemented, regulated, and welcomed by the marketplace and lawmakers will be a deciding factor. Cryptopolitan Academy: Want to grow your money in 2025? Learn how to do it with DeFi in our upcoming webclass. Save Your Spot
