Trump is angry about being "set up" to post support for XRP.

President Donald Trump is said to have been enraged upon discovering that the post supporting XRP, SOL, and ADA was proposed by Ripple's lobbying firm. Earlier, in early March 2025, President Donald Trump posted an article on Truth Social, stating that he had issued an executive order on digital assets, instructing the advisory group to quickly establish a national crypto reserve fund and specifically naming 3 coins that will be included: XRP (XRP), Solana (SOL), and Cardano (ADA), alongside the two leading names in the cryptocurrency market, Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH). The post immediately caused a huge impact. The prices of all three mentioned coins rose sharply. However, less than 24 hours later, Trump discovered that the company behind XRP - Ripple Labs - was actually a client of Ballard Partners, the lobbying firm that provided the content of the post for him to publish on Truth Social. According to close sources from Politico, an employee of Ballard at Trump's resort in Mar-a-Lago has repeatedly persuaded the U.S. President to post an article mentioning XRP without disclosing that Ripple is a client of the company. Shortly after the post, Trump's crypto advisor, David Sacks, directly called Chief of Staff Susie Wiles to question it. The entire White House machinery immediately traced the origins of the article and discovered the connection between Ripple and Ballard. President Trump is said to have been extremely angry when he realized he was being used as a "promotional tool" for a private company without his knowledge. He is reported to have been so furious that he declared, "Brian Ballard will not be involved in anything at the White House anymore."

Brian Ballard is the founder of Ballard Partners and is considered one of the most influential figures in the political lobbying scene in Washington. He has served as legal counsel for the Trump Organization, is the main fundraiser for Trump's campaign efforts, and has close ties with key figures such as Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and former Attorney General Pam Bondi. Immediately after discovering the incident, Mr. Trump tried to "put out the fire" by posting another article, this time adding both Bitcoin and Ethereum to the reserve fund in order to appease public opinion and avoid the feeling of favoritism. However, Brian Ballard's reputation in the eyes of the President and within the White House has been damaged and is said to be irreparable.

Since the incident, the White House has issued an internal directive not to accept any meetings with Ballard or his representatives. Some of Ballard's clients, including major corporations like TikTok, BMW, Chevron, and Ripple, have had to seek other channels within Trump's team to maintain political connections with the President. Although Ballard claims that he is "still invited to the President's events" and denies being banned, according to Politico, his actual influence in the West Wing has diminished markedly. "The president does not hate lobbyists; he fully understands that they have to make a living through their connections. But what he cannot accept is being turned into a tool for others to enhance their reputation or serve their own interests." Ballard Partners is currently one of the most powerful lobbying firms in Washington D.C., attracting more than 130 new clients in the first quarter of 2025. Q1/2025 revenue reached 14 million USD, three times that of the same period last year. The client list also spans from technology and finance giants like Netflix, JP Morgan to TikTok, Harvard, and even Bayer. However, the image of the "Trump whisperer," a person with special influence in the inner circle of the President that Ballard has painstakingly built over nearly a decade, is now under serious doubt. Those close to Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who was a collaborator of Ballard before leaving, remain cautious. Although Wiles asserts that "campaign interests are the top priority," a person from within does not hesitate to state: "People can overlook it, but it is not easy to forget." Although it was "personally named" by President Donald Trump in a post on Truth Social and even the SEC withdrew its lawsuit against this company, the price of XRP could not take advantage of the positive momentum. Instead of growing, the price of this token has dropped more than 20%, from the mark of 2.87 USD down to 2.31 USD.