Étienne Girard
President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to clarify that the planned Crypto Strategic Reserve will prominently feature Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH)—the world’s two largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization.
“I also love Bitcoin and Ethereum,” Trump wrote, emphasizing their role “at the heart of the Reserve.”
This statement follows Trump’s earlier directive for his Presidential Working Group on Crypto to move forward with establishing a Crypto Strategic Reserve that initially included Cardano (ADA), XRP, and Solana (SOL). The market responded swiftly, with all three cryptocurrencies seeing notable price increases after the announcement.
Trump’s stance on Bitcoin and Ethereum was previously unclear, as earlier reports suggested he was considering an “America-First” reserve composed primarily of U.S.-founded cryptocurrencies. His latest comments, however, confirm that the two largest digital assets will play a fundamental role in the government’s crypto holdings.
Stockpile vs. Strategic Reserve: Key Distinctions
The concept of a national crypto reserve was introduced in Trump’s January executive order, which called for the creation of a “national digital asset stockpile” from cryptocurrencies legally obtained by the U.S. government through law enforcement actions.
However, Trump’s Sunday post marks the first time he referred to it as a “Crypto Strategic Reserve.” While some use the terms “stockpile” and “reserve” interchangeably, they imply different approaches.
“From my understanding, a stockpile would mean that the government simply retains crypto seized in enforcement actions, whereas a reserve would involve deliberate acquisitions made by the Treasury Department,” explained Rebecca Rettig, Chief Legal Officer at Jito Labs, in an earlier interview with PRIME.
Trump’s latest statement suggests his administration is moving toward a structured government crypto reserve, rather than merely holding confiscated assets. With Bitcoin and Ethereum now officially included, the framework for this initiative is becoming clearer.
