Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse and Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderotti were spotted dining with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on January 7, 2025. The news broke via both Garlinghouse and Alderotti’s posts on X, which included a photo with Trump that quickly went viral.
What did Ripple executives discuss with Trump?
Garlinghouse stated: “Fantastic dinner last night with Donald Trump and Stuart Alderotti. Strong start to 2025! While Alderotti, addition “Personal Taste wrote, ‘…And to top it all off, the beef bourguignon was really good.'” None of the executives addressed specific topics covered during the dinner, leaving the cryptocurrency community to speculate on whether regulatory issues — or the legal battle That has not yet been resolved with the US Securities and Exchange Commission – is on the agenda.
Trump, who is scheduled to be inaugurated later this month, chose Paul Atkins in December to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission. In light of the ongoing Ripple-SEC case, many analysts are waiting to see if the Atkins-Trump administration might change the agency’s appeal strategy. As Bitcoinist reported 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 may be on the cards under the new leadership, no official statements have been released.
Although there is no specific information about the discussion, the meeting was largely welcomed by cryptocurrency supporters. Charles Hoskinson, founder of Cardano, directly congratulated Garlinghouse, posting, “Well done, Brad.” Other influencers have echoed this sentiment.
“If anyone thinks Trump isn’t serious about making crypto great again, you can put those concerns aside!!! $XRP,” Moon Lambo (@MoonLamboio) wrote via X. “Love it,” pro-XRP attorney Bill Morgan commented, and Joey Swole (@TheJoeySwoll) added: “Make crypto great again! Lock in! #XRPARMY”
However, not everyone responded without criticism. ĐΛRKHØRSΞ™ (@DarkhorseDNME4) questioned the cost of the meeting, writing: “So, for the record… you know ‘I met’ with Donald Trump where as before Stewart said you met and you didn’t… how much did that cost? I heard the dinner costs With Trump, it exceeds $100,000 per seat.”
However, the overall mood among XRP holders appears bullish. Commentators are optimistic that the dinner signals friendlier policy measures under the incoming Trump administration.
Others point to a tweet posted by Garlinghouse on January 5 – just days before the Mar-a-Lago meeting – highlighting what he said: described It’s called “Trump’s bull market.” “2025 is here and the Trump bull market is real,” Garlinghouse wrote in that tweet. For Ripple, this has become even more personal after Gensler’s SEC froze our job opportunities here at home for years. “The optimism is clear and very deserved.”
Garlinghouse also revealed tangible signs of momentum. “75% of Ripple’s open positions are now US-based, whereas over the past four years, the vast majority of employees have been outside the US,” he revealed. Furthermore, he revealed that Ripple “signed more US deals in the last six weeks of 2024 (since the election) than in the previous six months.”
He attributed these developments to the “Trump effect,” arguing that the president-elect, along with allies like Scott Besent, David Sachs, and Paul Atkins, was already “spurring innovation and job growth” even before taking office.
At press time, XRP was trading at $2.28.
Featured image of X, chart from TradingView.com