Trump Hosts White House Crypto Summit as He Urges Senate to Pass CLARITY Act
Key Takeaways
- •The White House summit included executives from Coinbase, Robinhood, Ripple, Gemini, Chainlink, Kraken, and major exchange and market infrastructure firms.
- •SEC Chairman Paul Atkins and CFTC Chairman Mike Selig attended the event along with White House Crypto Advisor Patrick Witt.
- •Trump said the United States is considering buying sizable amounts of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies for a national Bitcoin reserve.
- •Trump and regulators said 583 IPOs have taken place since his inauguration, raising a combined $208 billion.
- •The summit came before the September 15 vote on the CLARITY Act, which some participants expect could become law before January 1, 2027.
Trump Hosts White House Crypto Summit as He Urges Senate to Pass CLARITY Act
US President Donald Trump hosted a high-profile crypto summit at the White House and again urged the Senate to move quickly on the CLARITY Act, saying the legislation is needed for the United States to maintain its financial dominance. The event also underscored how digital-asset policy is increasingly being discussed alongside traditional market structure, as regulators, exchanges, and major crypto firms sat down in the same room ahead of the bill’s next legislative test.
Attendees at the summit
The event brought together executives from both the crypto industry and traditional finance, along with federal regulators.
Crypto attendees included Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, Robinhood Markets CEO Vlad Tenev, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, Gemini founders the Winklevoss twins, Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov, and Kraken co-CEO Arjun Sethi.
Traditional finance participants included New York Stock Exchange Chairman Jeffrey Sprecher, as well as representatives from Nasdaq, CME Group and the DTCC.
Federal regulators present were Paul Atkins, chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Mike Selig, chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). White House Crypto Advisor Patrick Witt was also in attendance.
CLARITY Act and regulation
On the CLARITY Act, Armstrong warned that banks were likely to resist the measure, saying they “don’t want the competition.”
Trump and the regulators also highlighted a more innovation-friendly regulatory approach and contrasted it with what they described as the stricter rules of the previous administration. They said there have been 583 IPOs since Trump’s inauguration, raising a combined $208 billion, or nearly four times the amount raised during Biden’s era.
Mike Selig posted on X on August 18, 2026:
“For years, anti-crypto armies, doomers, and decelerationists stifled innovation, regulating by enforcement and driving transformational technologies like blockchain, AI, and prediction markets overseas. On August 20, the @CFTC is turning the page and charting a course for the… pic.twitter.com/Fx31iuidd3”
Trump also said the CFTC chair was bringing Hyperliquid to the US, a comment that sent HYPE up 20.54% to $70.55.
Bitcoin reserve and other discussions
Trump said the US is considering buying “sizable” amounts of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as part of a national Bitcoin reserve. He said such a stockpile would reduce pressure on the US dollar.
The discussions also covered legal frameworks for tokenizing traditional assets, the operation of prediction markets, and support for artificial intelligence so the US can stay ahead of foreign competition.
Regulatory backdrop
The summit came after a landmark SEC proposal for crypto offerings with more lenient securities requirements.
It also came weeks before the September 15 vote on the CLARITY Act, with expectations rising that it could become law before January 1, 2027.
Source: Kalshi
