Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse and Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty were spotted dining with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on January 7, 2025. The news broke via both Garlinghouse and Alderoty’s posts on X, featuring a photograph with Trump that quickly went viral.
What Did Ripple’s Execs Discuss With Trump?
Garlinghouse stated, “Great dinner last night with Donald Trump & Stuart Alderoty. Strong start to 2025!” while Alderoty, adding a personal flair, wrote, “…and to top it off, the beef bourguignon was really good.” Neither executive elaborated on specific topics covered during the dinner, leaving the crypto community to speculate on whether regulatory matters—or the still-unresolved legal battle with the US Securities and Exchange Commission—were on the agenda.
Trump, set to be inaugurated later this month, chose Paul Atkins in December to lead the SEC. In light of the ongoing Ripple-SEC case, many analysts are waiting to see whether Atkins and Trump’s administration might alter the agency’s appellate strategy. As reported by Bitcoinist yesterday, the SEC’s grounds for appeal are due by January 15, just days before Inauguration Day. While some in the XRP community believe a withdrawal of appeals could be in the cards under new leadership, no official statements have been released.
Despite the lack of concrete information about the discussion, crypto proponents have largely welcomed the meeting. Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano, congratulated Garlinghouse directly, posting, “Nicely done Brad.” The sentiment was echoed by other influencers.
Moon Lambo (@MoonLamboio) wrote via X “If anyone thought Trump wasn’t serious about making crypto great again, you can put those fears TO BED!!! $XRP.” Pro-XRP lawyer bill Morgan commented “Love that” and Joey Swoll (@TheJoeySwoll) added: “Make crypto great again! LOCK IN! #XRPARMY”
However, not everyone responded uncritically. ĐΛRKHØRSΞ™ (@DarkhorseDNME4) questioned the meeting’s cost, writing, “So for the record… you know ‘have met’ with Donald Trump where as before Stuart said you had and you hadn’t.. how much did that cost? I heard dinners with Trump are upwards of $100k per seat.”
Still, the overall mood among XRP holders appears bullish. Commentators are optimistic that the dinner signals friendlier policy measures under the forthcoming Trump administration.
Others point to a tweet Garlinghouse shared on January 5—just days before the Mar-a-Lago meeting—highlighting what he described as the “Trump bull market.” In that tweet, Garlinghouse wrote, “2025 is here and the Trump bull market is real. For Ripple, this is even more personal after Gensler’s SEC effectively froze our business opportunities here at home for years. The optimism is obvious and very deserved.”
Garlinghouse also disclosed tangible signs of momentum. “75% of Ripple’s open roles are now US-based, while over the last 4 years, the vast majority of hires were outside the US,” he revealed. Furthermore, he disclosed that Ripple has “signed more US deals in the last six weeks of 2024 (since the election) than the previous six MONTHS.”
He credited these developments to the “Trump effect,” contending that the President-elect, along with allies such as Scott Bessent, David Sacks, and Paul Atkins, has already been “jumpstarting innovation and job growth” before even taking office.
At press time, XRP traded at $2.28.
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