President Donald Trump urged Congress to pass the CLARITY Act during a White House meeting with cryptocurrency executives, financial-market leaders and U.S. regulators, making the stalled market-structure bill a central part of his administration’s crypto agenda.
“Now we need Congress to take the next step by passing the Clarity Act, a fair version of the Clarity Act,” Trump said at the meeting on Wednesday. He described the legislation as a measure that would help keep the U.S. ahead in financial technology and provide a regulatory framework for the crypto industry.
The remarks come as the legislation remains before Congress and lawmakers face pressure to establish federal rules defining how digital assets are regulated.
Trump puts market structure bill at center of crypto agenda
Trump framed passage of the CLARITY Act as the next step after several actions his administration has taken on digital assets, including the creation of a strategic Bitcoin reserve and an executive order opposing a U.S. central bank digital currency.
He said the legislation would create clearer rules for companies developing blockchain-based financial products and allow them to operate in the U.S. rather than moving activity overseas.
Trump did not provide details on which provisions he considered a “fair version” of the bill during his remarks. The president also tied the legislation to competition with China, arguing that the U.S. needs to maintain its position in financial technology and digital assets.
White House gathers crypto and Wall Street executives
The meeting brought together executives from major cryptocurrency companies, exchanges, financial institutions and market infrastructure firms, along with senior U.S. regulators. Among those Trump recognized were Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, Intercontinental Exchange CEO Jeffrey Sprecher, Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman, Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev and Kraken co-CEO Arjun Sethi.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov, BitGo executives, Gemini co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, Paradigm co-founder Matt Huang and a16z partner Chris Dixon were also among the industry figures at the gathering.
SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, CFTC Chairman Michael Selig and White House digital-asset adviser Patrick Witt also attended. Trump praised the group as a collection of financial and technology leaders before turning to the administration’s regulatory priorities.
CFTC and SEC chiefs face questions on crypto rules
The meeting comes shortly before the CFTC’s inaugural Innovation Advisory Committee session, which is scheduled to cover crypto regulation, artificial intelligence and prediction markets.
Trump highlighted Selig’s work at the CFTC, including the agency’s recent approval of a Bitcoin perpetual futures contract on a CFTC-registered exchange. He also praised SEC Chairman Paul Atkins and pointed to the administration’s broader effort to change the agency’s approach to digital assets.
The CFTC committee meeting adds another regulatory backdrop to the White House gathering as federal agencies consider how existing rules can be applied to newer financial products.
Trump cites previous crypto actions
Trump used the meeting to outline several steps his administration has taken since returning to office. He said his administration had ended what he described as the previous administration’s “war on crypto” and referred to the departure of former SEC Chairman Gary Gensler.
Trump also pointed to the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, the U.S. Digital Asset Stockpile and the GENIUS Act, which established a federal framework for payment stablecoins. He said those measures were intended to strengthen the U.S. position in digital assets and financial technology.
Interest rates also enter Trump’s remarks
Trump also used the meeting to renew his criticism of the Federal Reserve’s interest-rate policy. He argued that rates should fall as the U.S. economy grows and said strong economic data should not necessarily lead to higher borrowing costs because of inflation concerns.
The comments come as markets await the Federal Reserve’s next policy decisions, with investors watching inflation and labor-market data for clues about the path of interest rates.
CLARITY Act faces the next test in Congress
Trump’s call puts the White House behind legislation that has become the crypto industry’s principal push for a federal market-structure framework. The CLARITY Act is intended to establish clearer lines between the regulatory responsibilities of the SEC and CFTC and create rules governing digital-asset markets.
But the bill still requires congressional action before it can become law. Trump’s call for a “fair version” also leaves open questions about the precise form of legislation the White House would support.
For the crypto industry, the White House meeting therefore served as a political signal rather than a legislative breakthrough: Trump has made passage of the CLARITY Act a priority, but Congress still has to resolve the bill’s outstanding issues.
Also Read: SEC Delays Crypto Framework Amid White House Concerns Over Legislation
