Key Takeaways
- The Trump administration plans to acquire Bitcoin using budget-neutral methods.
- Bitcoin is being positioned as a strategic asset akin to digital gold for the United States.
The Trump administration plans to aggressively acquire Bitcoin through budget-neutral methods that won’t impact taxpayers, said Bo Hines, the executive director of the Presidential Council of Advisers for Digital Assets, during a panel at Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit 2025.
“The President was adamant about creating the SBR. We wanted to make sure that we did it right in a way that respected Bitcoin for being so unique and also gave credence to innovation and other spaces in the digital asset world,” Hines said.
The administration views Bitcoin as a commodity rather than a security, emphasizing its intrinsic stored value and unique characteristics.
“Bitcoin, it’s not a security, it’s a commodity. It has intrinsic stored value, it’s traditionally accepted. It has, as David likes to describe, the immaculate conception. There’s no issuer,” Hines explained.
Hines, appointed by President Trump to lead the Crypto Council, is working with the White House’s crypto and AI czar David Sacks to facilitate innovation and growth in the crypto sector.
“It’s something that’s imperative for the United States to have, retain, continue to build on,” Hines stated, drawing a parallel between Bitcoin and gold.
Hines added that the administration is focused on finding ways to acquire more Bitcoin without burdening taxpayers, targeting “budget-neutral” approaches.
He said that Trump’s Crypto Council is collaborating with the Treasury and the Secretary of Commerce to identify viable acquisition strategies.
When asked about acquisition targets, Hines compared it to asking how much gold a country wants, implying a desire to acquire as much as possible.
“That’s like asking a country, how much gold do you want? Right? I mean, as much as we can get,” he said.
In an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box earlier this month, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a known Bitcoin advocate, said that Bitcoin acquisition plans are in discussion but the first step would be to prevent further liquidation of seized Bitcoin by the government.
Bessent stated that the next step would be to explore strategies for additional BTC acquisitions. He also noted that while Bitcoin is the focus, the initiative aims to encompass a broader crypto reserve.
