By Jesse Hamilton
Most voters in the U.S. aren't comfortable with President Donald
Trump's hand on the wheel of crypto industry oversight, with 62% saying
they don't trust his administration on that point, according to a survey
commissioned by CoinDesk.
After the previous administration's heavy hand on crypto, Trump's promise to make the U.S. the "crypto capital of the world"
reignited hopes in the sector. The president has deployed his White
House to pave a wide road toward friendly crypto regulation. His
administration named a high-profile crypto czar, issued executive orders
to map out an industry agenda, named regulators who vowed to support
friendly new rules and shepherded legislation to create the first major
U.S. crypto law.
However, the polling trend seems to show that Trump's broader political popularity beyond crypto has steadily waned, and his approval rating among U.S. voters is sinking, with this latest polling putting it at 40%.
This article is part of a CoinDesk series on voters' views for the 2026 midterm election.
Almost half of the respondents (45%) are also aware that the president
and his family have built a profitable personal stake in the crypto
industry, which includes partial ownership and control of World Liberty
Financial and other digital assets interests. The poll revealed that 73%
of the public opposes its senior government officials — without
identifying any in particular — having personal business dealings in the
industry.
While Republicans are the most flexible on that point, a strong
majority of 59% of GOP voters also can't stomach those kinds of ties.
However,
most people don't know the extent of Trump's financial involvement,
with only 17% of those polled being aware that he and his sons backed
the launch of World Liberty. Though the Trumps have many irons in crypto
fires, World Liberty has drawn special attention for a number of potential conflicts and controversies.
The online survey conducted last week was split evenly between voters
who supported Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris in the last presidential
election, so a large majority of respondents doubting his
administration's crypto capabilities would seem to demonstrate a shift
since 2024 in the sentiment of some of Trump's voters.
The White House didn't respond to requests for comment, but a
spokesman for World Liberty responded to the polling data with a
statement that Trump "pledged to make the United States the crypto
capital of the world, and World Liberty wholeheartedly supports this
vision."
"The president has continually delivered on his promise
to ensure that one of the most important technological breakthroughs of
the century develops and thrives in America," the company spokesman
said.
Apart from people's thoughts on Trump and government
officials' involvement in crypto, the survey of 1,000 registered voters
performed by research firm Public Opinion Strategies delved into
perceptions of crypto and the voters' intentions in this year's
elections, revealing that most retain a distrust — or at best an
uncertainty — about cryptocurrencies and their place in the economy and
politics. The snapshot of public opinion carries a "credibility
interval" of about 3.5%, representing the statistical uncertainty of the
survey's results.
The crypto industry has had a delicate relationship with the president,
rejoicing at his regulatory appointments and policy choices, but having
to quietly weather his own business involvement in the sector, which
brought a host of challenges in lobbying for crypto legislation. The
crypto world's biggest aim in Washington is to get a new law that
formalizes U.S. regulation of the industry, but Trump's political
opponents argue it benefits his own interests.
The current effort is known as the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act,
and while Trump's White House has been one of its major boosters, his
own crypto ties may get in the way.
The
Clarity Act has already passed the U.S. House of Representatives and
remains a few steps away in the Senate, but one of the last sticking
points is a Democratic request that it should include a ban on the kind
of personal crypto ties that CoinDesk's poll revealed most people
oppose. The provision to halt senior officials from crypto interests
clearly had Trump in mind when the lawmakers called for it, and the
bipartisan talks over its potential form have stretched across months
and have included back-and-forth exchanges of language ideas in recent
days.
In previous attempts, White House officials have said they won't stand for a bill
that targets the president or his family members. It's unclear how the
final version will avoid affecting Trump while also living up to
Democrats' expectations that it prevents government conflicts of
interest.
The bill will need plenty of Democrats if it's expected
to eventually win the 60 votes typically required for legislation to get
Senate approval.
Last weekend, President Trump spoke at an event
for a few hundred of the top investors in his self-branded memecoin
$TRUMP. There, he assured the crowd that the U.S. is the "leader in
crypto." He also told them the assets have "become mainstream."
READ: Veteran trader Peter Brandt sees bitcoin hitting $250,000, but only after a bottom later this year
According
to the CoinDesk survey, the industry has only become a regular part of
the lives of a small segment of the population — not quite mainstream.
And most haven't embraced the industry's most important political
booster, Trump, as an industry watchdog they're ready to trust.
CoinDesk will release data from this survey on Tuesday at Consensus Miami.
Source: Coindesk
