Speaking at his golf club in Doonbeg, Ireland, the president argued that excessive concern could weaken America’s position in the global artificial intelligence race.

His remarks came as worldwide AI investment is expected to surpass $1 trillion this year. Trump backed a faster approach, while lawmakers continue debating how to balance technological leadership with safety, financial stability, and national security.

Trump pushes faster AI development

Trump was asked whether artificial intelligence required slower development or stricter oversight. He acknowledged that regulation could have a role but rejected what he described as exaggerated warnings about future dangers.

“Whoever wins AI wins.” — Donald Trump

The position is consistent with the White House AI Action Plan introduced in July 2025. The plan proposed more than 90 federal actions aimed at expanding innovation, strengthening infrastructure, and improving the United States’ competitive position in artificial intelligence.

Trump’s comments also reinforce the administration’s emphasis on speed as competition with China intensifies. His position contrasts with lawmakers who support stronger safeguards for the most advanced systems.

Congress advances AI safety measures

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has said lawmakers must “act urgently” on artificial intelligence risks. He has also made AI safety a priority issue for House Democrats.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has taken a more cautious approach while still supporting “some guardrails, some safety measures.” Johnson warned that losing the AI race to China could create another national security challenge for the United States.

Senators Amy Klobuchar, Ted Cruz, and John Thune are also working on a bipartisan AI safety bill. Their effort followed warnings from former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon about increasingly capable systems.

The proposal could impose a legal “duty of care” on frontier AI developers. It could also allow the government to block unsafe model releases, making safety obligations more enforceable.

Global rules and investment risks grow

The European Union has already implemented rules for general-purpose AI models under the EU AI Act. Those provisions began applying on August 2, 2025.

Models trained with more than 10^25 FLOPs can be treated as posing systemic risks. Additional obligations include Commission notification, risk mitigation, incident reporting, and cybersecurity protections.

The International AI Safety Report 2026, led by Yoshua Bengio with support from more than 30 countries and institutions, highlights the scale of the governance debate.

Goldman Sachs expects global AI investment to reach about $1 trillion by 2026, including $581 billion in the United States. It estimates cumulative spending since 2022 could approach $1.8 trillion by year-end.

The BIS has warned AI spending could exceed socially optimal levels, particularly if demand weakens. BCG has also pointed to growing fragmentation between U.S. and Chinese AI ecosystems.

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He responded with, “I’ve become a big crypto guy only for one reason: If we don’t have it, China’s going to have it. But now they’re not even trying that hard, because we’ve taken over.” Donald Trump also acknowledged that at first he was not into crypto and knew very little about it, but he changed his mind after witnessing it mature from a niche market into a financial powerhouse. He further admitted that he dipped his toe in the industry a little for political reasons, once he realized there was a huge fanbase for the market.

Donald Trump says America has taken over crypto

Ideally, his pro-crypto pivot drew strong backing from the crypto lobby, which poured roughly $170 million into the 2024 election and is set to ramp up funding for pro-crypto candidates this November. As earlier reported by Cryptopolitan, the president’s remarks come as his family’s crypto ventures continue to generate enormous financial returns. According to his latest financial disclosure, Trump reported more than $1.4 billion in income from cryptocurrency-related businesses.

As of 2025, the bulk of the earnings came from World Liberty Financial and the sale of his $TRUMP meme coin. After Trump’s remarks, cryptocurrency markets reacted positively on Monday. Bitcoin, especially, rebounded after the president embraced the “big crypto guy” label and left the door open for digital assets in his minor investment program. He did not make a definitive promise to include the assets. Bitcoin edged up 0.4% to $63,822, though it remains well below its historic peak of over $126,000 last year.

Before those comments, Bitcoin had slipped as much as 2% toward $60,000 following Strategy’s regulatory disclosures. Cryptopolitan reported that the firm liquidated $216 million of its stash, walking back Michael Saylor’s famous “never sell” mantra, throwing off several Bitcoin investors. Trump’s new 503A investment plans, “Trump Accounts,” for kids officially opened over the holiday weekend, handing out $1,000 starter investments to any U.S. child born between January 1, 2025, and the end of 2028.

Trump family nets more than $1 billion from crypto ventures

The goal is to get kids building wealth early through diversified exchange-traded funds. The US president’s remarks clearly explain his change of heart, a total 180 from his first term, when he famously trashed Bitcoin as a scam. In the years since, the Trump family has established significant commercial ties to the cryptocurrency sector, drawing intense scrutiny over potential conflicts of interest regarding his pro-crypto policies.

Critics have also wasted no time in slamming Trump after June 30 disclosures showed his family earned over $1.4 billion last year from crypto ventures. Data published by The New York Times on Sunday indicated that while nearly one million $TRUMP meme coin investors lost a staggering $3.81 billion, Trump personally captured upwards of $600 million from the market. Additionally, he earned $800 million in 2025 from World Liberty Financial, a crypto platform he co-founded with his family.

Senator Elizabeth Warren has called him out for “brazen crypto corruption.” Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, who is running for the Senate, also posted more recently that the president’s “infinite greed is disgusting.” The president, however, has said his interest in crypto is “not a question of a personal thing.” He even said he doesn’t talk to his family about their involvement in crypto. Speaking about his children, he said, “I don’t talk to them, ever, talk to them about it.”

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Perez, who operated Trump’s teleprompter for nearly a decade, was accused of using advance access to prepared remarks to place wagers on Kalshi mention markets. The contracts allowed traders to bet on whether Trump would use particular words or phrases during public appearances. The case comes as prediction markets expand rapidly.

CFTC Details Perez Trading Activity

The CFTC said Perez made 49 trades between December 2025 and February 2026 and won 39 of them. His profits exceeded $107,000, according to the regulator.

The trades involved events including the State of the Union, the National Prayer Breakfast, a Medal of Honor ceremony and several rallies. Investigators said Perez often reviewed Trump’s remarks shortly before delivery and used the confidential text for “his own personal, financial benefit.”

Perez was ordered to surrender $107,539.02 in trading profits and pay a $65,000 civil penalty. Kalshi separately banned him from trading on the platform for three years.

The CFTC said the penalty was reduced because Perez provided “exemplary co-operation.” Regulators said he voluntarily acknowledged during an interview that his trading decisions were based on confidential information obtained while reviewing speeches.

Kalshi Surveillance Flagged Suspicious Bets

Kalshi’s surveillance team identified unusual activity in Trump-related mention markets and traced the account to a federal employee responsible for White House teleprompters. The company then referred the matter to the CFTC.

Bobby DeNault, Kalshi’s head of enforcement, said on X that anyone who breaks company rules or federal law would “face the consequences.”

Perez had worked for Trump since the 2016 campaign and earned $175,000 annually as a deputy assistant to the president. He was placed on unpaid leave in July, and then-press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the conduct “a disgrace.” Perez was reportedly no longer employed by the federal government by late July.

Prediction Market Enforcement Expands

Christy Goldsmith Romero, a former CFTC commissioner appointed under President Joe Biden, said the regulator missed an opportunity to “send a strong message” to future insider traders.

The CFTC also settled with former Republican Representative George Santos in August over a Kalshi contract involving whether he would attend the State of the Union.

Federal prosecutors have separately charged an Army soldier over Polymarket bets connected to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. A Google engineer was also charged after making about $1.2 million from trades based on internal search data.

CFTC Chairman Michael Selig, a Trump appointee, has supported the prediction-market industry while pledging to enforce rules against insider trading.

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The loss was more than ten times the deficit reported in the same period of 2025. The company attributed the decline mainly to falling cryptocurrency prices.

Trump Media Moves Ahead of Tesla in Bitcoin Rankings

Bitcointreasuries.net lists Trump Media with about 12,062 BTC under its control, worth $774.6 million on August 11. That total placed the company ahead of Tesla, which holds 11,509 BTC and has kept its position unchanged for years.

Top 16 publicly traded firms with Bitcoin holdings. Source: BitcoinTreasuries.net

The ranking moved Trump Media into 12th place among publicly traded companies holding Bitcoin.

However, the company’s Form 10-Q showed about 14,139 BTC as of July 31. That figure includes Bitcoin committed to other parties, not only coins fully controlled by the company.

Bitcointreasuries.net excluded 2,077 BTC used as collateral in a covered-options strategy. The filing states that the counterparty “can rehypothecate at their sole discretion” those coins and any Bitcoin premiums received.

Bitcoin pledged against Trump Media’s $1 billion convertible notes remains included because the company still recognizes that collateral as its asset.

Crypto Prices Weigh on Quarterly Results

The $238 million second-quarter loss followed a $406 million first-quarter loss earlier in 2026. Bitcoin had fallen below $70,000 after trading above $126,000 in October 2025.

Accounting rules require Trump Media to mark its cryptocurrency holdings to market, regardless of whether the assets are sold.

Trump Media reported $1.7 million in revenue, up 89% from the previous year. Total assets reached about $2 billion, including approximately $1.9 billion in financial assets.

Those assets included cash, short-term investments, and roughly $1.2 billion in Bitcoin and Bitcoin-related holdings. The company also carries $1 billion in convertible notes due in 2028.

Truth API Expands as Company Refocuses on Social Media

Interim chief executive Kevin McGurn said Truth API charges between $60,000 and $100,000 monthly. The service delivers posts from major Truth Social accounts to institutional traders faster than the public receives them.

More than 10 customers have signed up since the service launched in early August, with most identified as high-frequency trading firms.

Kathleen Clark of Washington University School of Law said the arrangement amounts to selling privileged access to information about the President’s actions.

McGurn rejected that characterization, saying licensed real-time public data through commercial APIs is established across technology and financial information companies.

He said Trump Media will refocus on social media after exploring online betting and crypto markets, calling the move a “disciplined choice.”

The company dropped a Crypto.com prediction-market plan for Truth Social. It is still pursuing its merger with TAE Technologies, which McGurn expects to close by year-end.

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“I’ve become a big crypto guy only for one reason: If we don’t have it, China’s going to have it. But now they’re not even trying that hard, because we’ve taken over,” Trump said.

He said he was not initially interested in crypto and knew little about it. His position changed after he watched the market grow from a niche area into a financial powerhouse. Trump said he entered the industry “a little” for political reasons after seeing its fanbase.

The shift attracted support from the crypto lobby, which spent $170 million in the 2024 election and is expected to fund pro-crypto candidates this November.

Bitcoin Rises After Oval Office Comments

Bitcoin rose after Trump’s remarks, gaining 0.4% to $63,822. It followed his embrace of the “big crypto guy” label and his decision to leave open whether digital assets could be included in the program. He did not make a promise.

Earlier, Bitcoin had fallen as much as 2% toward $60,000 after Strategy’s disclosures. The firm liquidated $216 million of its Bitcoin holdings, walking back Michael Saylor’s “never sell” mantra and unsettling some investors.

The 503A Trump Accounts opened over the holiday weekend, offering $1,000 starter investments to U.S. children born between January 1, 2025, and the end of 2028. The program aims to build wealth through diversified exchange-traded funds.

Trump Faces Crypto Profit Scrutiny

Trump’s comments marked a reversal from his first term, when he criticized Bitcoin as a scam. Since then, his family has built commercial ties to crypto, drawing scrutiny over possible conflicts of interest.

Recent disclosures showed his family earned more than $1.4 billion from crypto ventures in 2025. Data published by The New York Times said nearly one million $TRUMP meme coin investors lost $3.81 billion, while Trump captured upward of $600 million. He also earned $800 million from World Liberty Financial, which he co-founded with his family.

Senator Elizabeth Warren called it “brazen crypto corruption.” Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton said the president’s “infinite greed is disgusting.” Trump said his interest is “not a question of a personal thing” and that he does not discuss crypto with his family. “I don’t talk to them, ever, talk to them about it,” he said.

Trump praised his administration for dropping SEC inquiries and enforcement actions against digital asset firms, saying, “Every time I see a crypto guy where they dropped an investigation, I said: ‘You’re lucky I’m president.’”

The post Trump Crypto Shift Tied to Politics, Profit Potential, and China Rivalry first appeared on Coinfea.

Kalshi’s head of crypto, John Wang, said March volume comparisons were misleading because they failed to separate platform structure, market categories, and possible artificial activity. 

The dispute comes as prediction markets face sharper scrutiny from regulators, prosecutors, and political figures.

Kalshi Disputes March Volume Estimates

Wang said Kalshi processed about $13 billion in March, while Polymarket handled closer to $10 billion. His comments pushed back against estimates that placed both platforms near $12 billion during the same period.

He argued that simple volume comparisons ignore how each market operates. Kalshi draws heavy activity from United States sports contracts, while Polymarket attracts broader global volume through on-chain markets. 

He also said Polymarket’s war-related contracts form a large part of its political activity, yet Kalshi does not offer the same category.

Wash Trading Claims Raise Data Concerns

Wang also claimed that wash trading may account for as much as 70% of activity in some of Polymarket’s top markets. The claim remains unverified, and public blockchain data does not provide a final answer on the scale of possible artificial trades.

Another Kalshi-linked figure supported the criticism and cited Dune dashboard data that placed Polymarket’s March volume near $9.5 billion. 

That estimate remains below Kalshi’s stated $13 billion figure and adds more pressure to the public debate over reliable prediction market data.

As of April 2026, Kalshi appears to have moved ahead in year-to-date notional volume. Reported figures place Kalshi near $37.5 billion, while Polymarket stands at around $29.2 billion.

Prediction Markets Face Wider Scrutiny

The volume dispute comes during a tense period for the sector. United States prosecutors reportedly charged Gannon Ken Van Dyke with using classified intelligence to place Polymarket bets tied to the capture of Nicolás Maduro. Authorities allege the trades generated more than $400,000 in profit.

Kalshi also disclosed that it had fined and suspended three congressional candidates for betting on their own races. The cases have renewed concerns over insider access, market fairness, and event contract oversight.

Regulatory pressure is also rising abroad. Brazil’s central bank has moved to block prediction markets, citing risks to investor protection and market integrity.

In the United States, criticism has become more direct. Donald Trump said he was “not happy” with prediction markets and described them as “somewhat of a casino.” Meanwhile, the CFTC began a formal process on March 12, 2026, to examine how event contracts should be classified under federal rules.

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The decision allows limited handling of sanctioned Russian crude already loaded on vessels while tensions over Ukraine continue. Officials say the move reflects pressure from lower-income nations facing energy shortages during ongoing geopolitical disruptions.

US extends waiver amid supply concerns

The US Treasury Department extended a short-term waiver covering Russian oil cargoes loaded by April 17, with validity through May 16. This decision replaces an earlier 30-day exemption that expired on April 11 and permits buyers to process shipments already at sea. However, the authorization excludes transactions linked to Iran, Cuba, or North Korea, showing that the broader sanctions policy remains intact.

European officials questioned the move, with Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic raising concerns directly with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Washington responded that the waiver addresses urgent needs in countries heavily dependent on imported oil. These nations faced supply disruptions after the Strait of Hormuz became restricted during heightened tensions involving Iran.

EU pressure grows as geopolitical tensions persist

Sefcovic stated that US officials described the waiver as a temporary measure unlikely to be repeated. He emphasized that several lower-income countries experienced severe energy strain, prompting emergency adjustments. Bessent also informed US lawmakers that requests for relief came during recent IMF and World Bank meetings, reinforcing the supply-driven rationale.

The US initially relaxed parts of its Russia oil restrictions in early March after Iran blocked key shipping routes following military actions involving the US and Israel. Oil prices surged above $100 per barrel, increasing global supply concerns. The extension of the waiver reflects efforts to prevent further price spikes while negotiations with Iran continue.

Ukraine strikes weaken Russia’s oil revenues

Despite the waiver, Russia has not fully benefited from elevated oil prices due to ongoing Ukrainian strikes on energy infrastructure. Since late March, Ukraine has targeted ports and loading facilities to disrupt exports and limit revenue flows. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported losses of at least $2.3 billion in oil income during March alone.

Data from industry sources showed a decline of 300000 barrels per day in crude transhipments and a 200000-barrel drop in refined product flows. Reports indicate that exports could fall to their lowest levels since 2023, with production cuts ranging from 300,000 to 400,000 barrels per day in April. Analysts note that Russia would need sustained high oil prices to offset these financial pressures.

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Trump also said Jamie is not fit for the position and slammed JPMorgan for how they treated him after the January 6th Capitol protest. “There was never such an offer,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Why wouldn’t The Wall Street Journal call me to ask whether or not such an offer was made? I would have very quickly told them, ‘NO,’ and that would have been the end of the story.”

He said the meeting never happened and accused Jamie of pretending it was some joke. “Also, one was led to believe that I offered Jamie Dimon the job of Secretary of the Treasury, but that would be one that he would be very interested in. The problem is, I have Scott Bessent doing a fantastic job, A SUPERSTAR — Why would I give it to Jamie? No such offer was made there, or even thought of, either,” he said.

Donald Trump plans lawsuit against JPMorgan

Trump also said he will sue JPMorgan Chase for shutting down his accounts after January 6th, calling it “inappropriate and incorrect debanking.” He said the protest was justified and added, “The Election was RIGGED!” The lawsuit, he said, will be filed within two weeks. Back in August 2025, Trump signed an executive order telling banks they can’t reject clients based on their political or religious views.

He has said banks have targeted him personally. In an interview with CNBC, Trump said JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America both refused to take his deposits after his first term ended. He gave no proof but said it was all political. JPMorgan responded by saying they don’t shut accounts over political beliefs. Bank of America wouldn’t comment on individual clients but said it would welcome clearer rules from regulators.

This is not the first time Trump and his family have called out banks. Last year, Donald Trump Jr. said they had trouble accessing regular banking services. That, he said, is what pushed them into crypto. “So, [my family] got into crypto, not because it was like, ‘hey, this is the next cool thing,’ we got into it out of necessity,” Donny Jr. said. Now, Trump is going after JPMorgan in court, but he’s also been going after the banks in policy.

He wants a hard cap on credit card interest rates at 10%. The banking sector reacted fast. JPMorgan shares dropped around 5% over the last week, even though the company beat expectations in its latest earnings report. Other major bank stocks also fell after Trump gave them until January 20 to comply. The Wall Street Journal had claimed that Trump offered the Federal Reserve job to Jamie during a meeting at the White House months ago. Jerome Powell’s current Fed chair term ends on May 15.

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Trump made this known in an interview with The New York Times on Thursday. The president also ruled out pardons for music producer Sean Combs and former New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez. Bankman-Fried, often called by his initials SBF, has been locked up since August 2023 after a federal judge took away his bail ahead of his criminal trial.

Donald Trump will not issue a pardon to SBF

During the same conversation, Trump responded to questions about possible conflicts of interest involving the cryptocurrency business. The president and members of his family have ties to American Bitcoin, a company that mines Bitcoin, and World Liberty Financial, which runs the USD1 stablecoin. Trump also has his own digital token called Official Trump, currently trading at $5.36. “I got a lot of votes because I backed crypto, and I got to like it,” Trump said.

A judge handed Bankman-Fried his 25-year prison term in March 2024 after a jury found him guilty on seven felony charges. Those charges related to how customer money was mishandled at FTX. Two other former executives got shorter sentences after they made deals with prosecutors. Caroline Ellison, who ran Alameda Research, and Ryan Salame, who was co-CEO of FTX Digital Markets, both received less time.

Some reports indicated that Bankman-Fried might have tried to get a pardon from Trump by claiming he had a “good relationship” with Republicans and getting close to conservative personalities like Tucker Carlson. On Polymarket, people betting on whether Trump would pardon SBF before 2027 only put the odds at 6%. Meanwhile, Trump has given pardons to other people connected to the crypto world.

In January, soon after he started his term, he pardoned Ross Ulbricht, who founded the Silk Road marketplace. Trump also surprised many in October by pardoning Changpeng Zhao, known as CZ, who used to run Binance and served four months in prison. Trump later said he did not know Zhao. Even though a pardon from Trump is off the table, Bankman-Fried still has ways to challenge his conviction and sentence through the courts.

In November, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit listened to arguments from SBF’s lawyers who want to overturn the former CEO’s conviction. As of Thursday, the court had not posted any decision to the public record, but a ruling is expected at some point. If the appeals court says no, Bankman-Fried could take one final shot by asking the Supreme Court to review his case.

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Moynihan observed that although tariffs have upset economic growth, a downturn can be projected by the markets.

Tariff impact on the economy

Moynihan clarified that the Trump tariff has been impactful on the US economy. The average rates grew not least 2 to 14% ever since he came to power. The president has introduced a 10% tariff on imported goods, but has increased the tariffs to an average of 15% on major trading partners. Moynihan highlighted that this change is moderate, and it means that there will be a possibility of a decrease in the tension in the market.

The second quarter had significant difficulties for small businesses, which was mainly attributed to tariff increases and the uncertainty of trade policies. Moynihan indicated that companies were relieved later when the rates eased. He emphasized that small businesses face present-day challenges more to do with employee shortages as opposed to tariffs.

US-China and trade in the region

Trade with China has been one of the issues of concern, as pointed out by Moynihan, in addition to the North American partners. In 2026, the US-Mexico-Canada agreement will be reviewed, and it may have an impact on the tariffs and trade relations. Nevertheless, Moynihan was optimistically pessimistic regarding the improvement and the general market stability.

He proposed that the market must anticipate average tariffs of about 15% besides the introduction of higher rates on the countries that challenge US trade practices or countries that do not reduce non-tariff barriers. His comments reflect that he focuses on selective trade measures other than global escalation.

Legal and policy implications

Kevin Hasset, the Director of the National Economic Council, was confident that the Supreme Court decision would support the administration on the issue of the legality of tariffs. Analysts caution that a decision made in favor of the tariffs might make the government pay up to 100 billion.

The report by Hassett was also characterized by the increasing potential of the $2,000 tariff rebate checks, which was a plan that Trump had already put forward. He forecasted that the president would present a proposal to Congress formally next year, as it was an attempt to mitigate the costs of trade-related expenses to the concerned parties.

The prospects in 2026 are optimistic of reduced trade pressure, with Bank of America anticipating de-escalation but not an escalation. The remarks made by Moynihan give markets and businesses a fair chance of apprehension as they continue to maneuver in the current trade developments.

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