Trump holds White House expansion fundraising dinner…Coinbase, Ripple, Gemini attend

U.S. President Donald Trump hosted a fundraising dinner for a White House ballroom construction project of US$250 million. Key figures from the virtual asset (cryptocurrency) industry attended the event, drawing market attention.

According to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 16th (local time), the dinner was part of fundraising for the White House expansion project first proposed by President Trump in July, involving a total floor area of 90,000 square feet. Attendees included the Winklevoss twins, co-founders of Gemini, as well as representatives from Coinbase and Ripple Labs.

The dinner took place on the 15th day of the U.S. federal government shutdown, which drew controversy as many government agencies were operating with limited staff. Congress has still not reached an agreement in budget negotiations.

Nevertheless, the event is seen as a symbolic example of how deeply the virtual asset industry is intertwined with Washington politics. Analysts note that industry lobbying for clearer digital asset regulation is increasingly combining with the Trump administration's policy network.

Political analysts described the dinner as "a high-end fundraising event held during the emergency situation of a federal government shutdown," and said it "symbolizes the expanding influence of the private sector, particularly the virtual asset industry, in the policy-making process."

Meanwhile, executives from Silicon Valley and major defense companies also attended the event, including Meta, Google, Amazon, Lockheed Martin, and Microsoft.