In a recent interview on “60 Minutes,” President Donald Trump made headlines by claiming he was unfamiliar with Changpeng Zhao, the founder of Binance, despite having issued a pardon for him just last month. Zhao, a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency world, pleaded guilty to violations of anti-money laundering laws. During the interview, Trump responded, “Okay, are you ready? I don’t know who he is… I know he got a four-month sentence or something like that and I heard it was a Biden witch hunt.”
The topic of Binance arose when interviewer Norah O’Donnell reminded Trump of the company’s role in facilitating a substantial $2 billion transaction linked to the Trump family’s financial interests, specifically regarding World Liberty Financial’s stablecoin. O’Donnell questioned Trump about the potential implications of a “pay for play” arrangement. Trump’s retort highlighted his busy schedule, stating, “Well, here’s the thing, I know nothing about it because I’m too busy.” He added that while he was pleased his sons were involved in cryptocurrency ventures, he distanced himself from their business decisions by emphasizing, “they’re running a business, they’re not in government.”
The discussion then shifted to the ongoing government shutdown, which is on track to become one of the longest in U.S. history. Trump attributed the stalemate to the Democrats, asserting that “the Republicans are voting almost unanimously to end it, and the Democrats keep voting against ending it.” He did not provide a clear plan for resolving the deadlock but suggested that the Democrats would eventually relent. “And if they don’t vote, that’s their problem,” he remarked.
Healthcare was another critical topic addressed during the interview. With Democrats advocating for the extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, which are set to expire soon, Trump expressed his disdain for the ACA, calling it “terrible” and stating it offers “bad health care at far too high a price.” He maintained that a bipartisan effort could rectify these issues, stating, “We should fix that. We should fix it.” However, when pressed by O’Donnell about the specifics of his healthcare plan, Trump deflected and continued to criticize Democratic policies, framing them as financially irresponsible, particularly in relation to immigration policies. Despite his claims, it’s noteworthy that undocumented migrants do not qualify for Medicaid or ACA benefits.
The interview illustrated the complex interplay of issues facing the Trump administration, from cryptocurrency pardons to healthcare reform, shedding light on the administration’s strategies and challenges.
