Трамп назвал преследование Чанпэна Чжао из-за криптовалюты «угрозой будущему индустрии» Translation: Trump calls the persecution of Changpeng Zhao over cryptocurrency a threat to the industrys future.

U.S. President Donald Trump shared his views on the decision to grant a pardon to Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ). He mentioned that he does not personally know the businessman and criticized the actions of President Joe Biden’s administration as a «witch hunt.»

Trump made his remarks during an appearance on CBS News’s 60 Minutes program.

He added that he heard about the case involving CZ being part of a prosecution by a «corrupt government.»

When journalist Norah O’Donnell asked Trump about reports that Binance had contributed to the purchase of $2 billion in stablecoins for World Liberty Financial (WLFI), a company linked to the president’s family, he claimed to be unaware of the matter, citing his busy schedule.

«My sons are handling that. I’m glad they are because cryptocurrencies are probably a fantastic industry. They are conducting business, they aren’t involved with government. I’m proud of them,» he remarked.

Trump characterized cryptocurrencies as «an industry of the future» and emphasized the importance of the U.S. taking a leading role in it. He believes that targeting market participants could «kill the industry.»

The president also touched on the topic of artificial intelligence, asserting that the production and regulation of AI chips should remain solely in the U.S. and that China should be barred from having access to them.

He labeled this a national security issue, expressing concern that losing technological leadership could weaken the dollar.

Lawyers for Senator Elizabeth Warren deem CZ’s threat of a defamation lawsuit to be baseless. This threat arose from a post by the senator on X regarding «corruption» in the pardon of CZ.

The New York Post reported that Binance’s lawyer Teresa Gudi Gillen warned Warren of potential legal action for «defamatory statements that harm his reputation.» She demanded the removal of the post from X.

In a response letter, Senator Warren’s attorney Ben Stafford stated that any defamation lawsuit would be «unfounded» and reiterated that CZ «pleaded guilty to violating money laundering laws.»

Stafford argued that Warren’s post «is true in every aspect and thus cannot be defamatory,» as it «accurately reflects publicly available and widely reported facts.»

He added that a public figure like Zhao cannot win a defamation case without proving that the defendant knowingly spread false information.

It’s worth recalling that in September 2024, CZ was released from prison after serving a four-month sentence for money laundering and other illegal activities.

As part of a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice, he agreed to pay a $50 million fine and resign as CEO of the exchange.

Binance has permanently barred CZ from management. However, platform CEO Richard Teng noted that Zhao remains the largest shareholder.