RECAP: White House Crypto Meeting — August 19, 2026
President Trump welcomed leading figures in crypto and finance to the White House, ahead of the inaugural CFTC Innovation Advisory Committee meeting—positioning it as a turning point for U.S. leadership in digital assets.
Highlights:
• Trump proclaimed, "We ended the war on crypto once and for all," blaming Biden-era policies for stifling innovation and crediting his administration with reversing course.
• He reaffirmed his executive order banning a U.S. central bank digital currency (CBDC).
• The U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve remains a "permanent asset" of the Treasury, joined by a broader Digital Asset Stockpile.
• Trump highlighted the first anniversary of the GENIUS Act, praising it for accelerating adoption of dollar-backed stablecoins.
• On global competition, he claimed the U.S. is "way ahead" of China in AI and crypto—while confirming President Xi Jinping’s U.S. visit on September 24, with AI on the table.
• SEC Chair Paul Atkins, CFTC Chair Michael Selig, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick were commended for their roles.
• Executives from Coinbase, Ripple, Robinhood, Gemini, and Nasdaq attended, ahead of Thursday’s committee launch.
The stage is set for deeper discussions Thursday on crypto regulation, AI, and prediction markets.
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