A report from the American media NY Post this Thursday, January 16, indicates that the incoming government of Donald Trump would be considering prioritizing other cryptocurrencies before bitcoin (BTC) to create its strategic reserve.
Sources told the outlet that the idea of a strategic reserve that prioritizes cryptocurrencies created in the United States, such as solana (SOL), USD Coin (USDC) and ripple (XRP), is being discussed.
In recent weeks, Trump has met with the founders of these currencies. According to sources, is receptive to the idea of expanding the reserve beyond BTC. This raises concerns that it could delegitimize efforts to promote bitcoin, which is the asset that was initially intended to be prioritized in the strategic reserve.
The strategic bitcoin reserve is one of Trump’s great promises for the ecosystem, first announced in July 2024. The reserve would initially have 200,000 BTC, most of it seized, and would be under the control and administration of the Secretary of the Treasury. However, a couple of days ago a prosecutor asked the US justice system to return 80% of the BTC seized from the Bitfinex hacker to the victims. This means the US may not have all that bitcoin for its reserves if the order materializes.
The creation of this reserve can occur in two ways: one, through the legislative process, and another, expressly, through an Executive Order. There is already a draft of this last route that was sent to Trump’s team and that establishes the exclusive creation of a bitcoin reserve, as reported by NoticiasVE.
Looking for a position
Trump’s consideration of expanding the reserve and prioritizing altcoins over bitcoin comes at a time when Bitcoin project founders and industry executives are “fighting” for a seat on the Trump administration’s advisory council.
Trump has received prominent figures in the cryptocurrency sector at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. Among them are Kris Marszalek, CEO of Crypto.com, Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, and Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Circle, a company that donated 1 million USDC to Trump’s inaugural committee.
These meetings and the interest shown by Trump in digital assets other than bitcoin suggest a potential change in the next administration’s cryptocurrency policy.
This could influence the market, legislation and public perception of cryptocurrencies in the United States. The diversification of the strategic reserve towards other US cryptocurrencies could be seen as supporting local innovation in the sector, but at the same time, it could face resistance of those who believe in the supremacy of bitcoin as the main digital asset on the market.
The decision on the composition of the strategic reserve could have long-term ramifications for the cryptocurrency market, not only in the United States but globally, as the United States is a key actor in the regulation and adoption of these technologies.