Is Ripple Lobbying Against U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve? CEO Reacts
Bitcoin is climbing towards new all-time highs, with a major breakout on the horizon. A key driver of this upward momentum is a recent executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump, which includes the creation of a U.S. government Bitcoin Reserve. This move has raised excitement in the crypto world, particularly for Bitcoin enthusiasts.
However, amidst the Bitcoin Reserve news, XRP is facing a lot of heat on social media. Pierre Rochard, VP of Research at Riot Platforms, has claimed that the biggest challenge to the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR) isn’t the Fed, Treasury, or banks—it’s Ripple. Rochard argues that Ripple is spending millions of dollars lobbying politicians to block the SBR, fearing it could hurt their marketing narrative and push their own agenda for Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).
Rochard even accused Ripple of trying to sabotage Bitcoin mining under the Biden administration and said Ripple has now “declared war” by attempting to block the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. According to him, Ripple should have focused on its own business and not interfered with the SBR.
“Face the facts: Ripple / XRP has been the leading source of anti-bitcoin misinformation for more than a decade. They have aggressively lobbied policymakers around the world to try to ban bitcoin mining. Weaponizing woke ESG narratives to promote their centralized token,” Rochard said.
In response, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse fired back, stating that their efforts are actually boosting the chances of a crypto strategic reserve, which could include Bitcoin. Garlinghouse stressed that Ripple’s actions align with the broader goals of the U.S. government to support American companies and technologies.
