Binance Founder Denies Having Talks With President Trump’s Family
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March 13, 2025 4:57 pm
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A Wall Street Journal report claims President Trump’s family’s representatives have talked with Binance about acquiring a stake in the company.
The report claimed Binance first approached the Trump family last year in a deal to resume Biance’s U.S. operations.
Binance’s founder, Changpeng Zhao, responded to the report, saying, “Sorry to disappoint. The WSJ article got the facts wrong.
CZ added, “I have had no discussions of a Binance US deal with… well, anyone.”
4. Sorry to disappoint. The WSJ article got the facts wrong.
More than 20 people have told me they were asked by the WSJ (and another media), "Can you confirm that CZ made some deal for a pardon?"
They probably asked hundreds of people to have 20 people reach out to me. In… https://t.co/ELyDPmKD3G
— CZ 🔶 BNB (@cz_binance) March 13, 2025
Per CNBC:
Binance’s BNB token bucked the wider crypto downturn on Thursday, jumping 4% following a Wall Street Journal report that the Trump family has held talks to secure a financial interest in the U.S. arm of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange.
Such a deal would notably link the Trumps to a firm that pleaded guilty to breaking anti-money laundering laws in 2023.
According to the Journal, Binance first approached Trump allies last year, pitching a deal that could help the embattled exchange regain its footing in the U.S. At the same time, its founder, Changpeng Zhao — better known as CZ — has been angling for a presidential pardon after serving four months in prison for violating anti-money laundering laws.
However, in a post on X, Zhao denied any discussions about a deal for Binance.US or seeking a pardon.
“Sorry to disappoint. The WSJ article got the facts wrong,” he wrote. “I have had no discussions of a Binance US deal with… well, anyone.”
🚨 UPDATE: CZ denies rumors of a Trump-Binance deal, stating no discussions took place. pic.twitter.com/E3WMnAkc22
— Cointelegraph (@Cointelegraph) March 13, 2025
Here’s what Cointelegraph reported:
Representatives of US President Donald Trump’s family have reportedly held talks with Binance about acquiring a stake in the crypto exchange.
Binance reached out to Trump’s family representatives in 2024, offering to strike a deal as part of a plan to resume Binance.US operations in the country, The Wall Street Journal reported on March 13.
Citing sources familiar with the matter, the report mentioned that Binance’s billionaire founder Changpeng Zhao — who served four months in prison in the US — has been pushing for the Trump administration to grant him a pardon.
“It is unclear what form the Trump family stake would take if the deal comes together or whether it would be contingent on a pardon,” the report said.
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