In a provocative statement, laced with sarcasm, Changpeng Zhao, known as CZ, the co-founder and former CEO of Binance, suggested that President Donald Trump and Bitcoin’s (BTC) creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, could be the same person. 

This came in the wake of a presidential pardon granted to CZ, as announced by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. The pardon was described as an exercise of President Trump’s constitutional authority, aimed at addressing charges brought against Zhao by the Biden Administration during its crackdown on the crypto sector.

Binance Founder Links Trump To Bitcoin’s Creator 

CZ’s comments followed a statement from President Trump, who remarked, “Let me just tell you that he was somebody that, as I was told, I don’t know him, I don’t believe I’ve ever met him … he had a lot of support, and they said that what he did is not even a crime.” 

CZ later took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), acknowledging Trump’s comment about not having met him, adding, “It would be my honor someday. President Trump and Satoshi. Might be the same person.”

In 2023, the founder of the crypto exchange Binance served a four-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to charges related to anti-money laundering (AML) violations, and he was released in September 2024. 

Concerns Raised By Democratic Critics

Despite their statements, some critics from the Democratic Party have pointed to investments between YZi Labs and the Trump family’s World Liberty Financial (WFLI) as a potential conflict. 

Trump has been a skeptic of cryptocurrencies, particularly Bitcoin (BTC). However, since his presidential campaign last year, he has shifted towards supporting pro-crypto regulations, which have contributed to the growth and adoption of digital assets in the country.