The election of Donald Trump marked a sea change for U.S. crypto policy.

The symbolism of that transformation was on full display at the White House’s first-ever Crypto Summit, at which President Trump met with several crypto business leaders. But what was actually said behind closed doors? And does this mark the beginning of a truly pro-crypto shift—or just another short-lived political move?

In this episode, BitGo CEO Mike Belshe and former CFTC Chairman Chris Giancarlo break down what really happened at the summit, whether the proposed Bitcoin reserve is a smart idea or a political gimmick, and why some believe the U.S. dollar could one day be backed by BTC.

Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com

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Bitwise

Guests:

Mike Belshe, CEO at BitGo
Chris Giancarlo, Senior counsel at Willkie Farr & Gallagher and former CFTC chairman

Links

Recent coverage of Unchained on the Bitcoin Reserve and the White House Crypto Summit :
Trump Says He Is Ending Operation Choke Point 2.0
Trump Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Trump's Surprise Crypto Reserve Announcement Iced Out D.C. Insiders
How Did Ripple Sell Trump on XRP in a Crypto Reserve? By Pushing for Solana
Why Trump May Have Chosen This Week to Announce a Strategic Crypto Reserve
Which Crypto Assets Belong in a Reserve? This VC Says Not XRP and ADA
Chris’s article: Crypto neo-privateers could be the solution to hacks
Nic Carter’s tweet on Trump’s crypto endeavours
Omid Malekan’s analogy of the SBR with buying a shirt

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Barry Schwartz: March 3, 2025