In a fresh wave of speculation around the creation of a national digital asset reserve in the United States, Andrew Parish (@AP_Abacus), founder of x3, has asserted that—despite Ripple’s lobbying—XRP stands no chance of inclusion. Parish shared on X on January 28 an excerpt from an unnamed source, allegedly in close contact with President Donald Trump or someone in a position of influence:
“UPDATE: from a single source, but a uniquely connected one: ‘No matter their efforts, zero chance that Ripple and XRP ends up as part of any sort of US Strategic Reserve. None. We aren’t fooled by snake oil salesmen.’” He cited the source, “The focus remains on Bitcoin.”
Does XRP Really Have No Chance?
These comments come amidst reports that Ripple Labs has been working behind the scenes to shape the outcome of the so-called “national digital asset stockpile.” Ripple has reportedly advocated against the formation of a singular “Strategic Bitcoin Reserve” (SBR), calling instead for a diversified collection of digital assets. Such efforts include promoting cryptocurrencies like XRP, Solana, and USD Coin (USDC).
Over the last week, industry participants have questioned Ripple’s lobbying tactics. Critics like Pierre Rochard, Vice President of Research at Riot Platforms, have accused the company of using “millions of dollars” to influence US politicians, purportedly in an effort to derail the creation of a Bitcoin-centric reserve. Ripple executives, including CEO Brad Garlinghouse, have met directly with Trump administration officials—meetings that some XRP supporters hoped would lead to XRP’s inclusion in any national reserve scheme.
Garlinghouse, however, has publicly dismissed claims of antagonism toward Bitcoin. Instead, he characterizes Ripple’s lobbying as championing a broad-based approach. In a new statement released on X today, Garlinghouse addressed so-called “Bitcoin maximalists,” emphasizing: “Some thoughts on maximalism… let me say this as clearly as I can – the crypto industry has a real shot, here and now, to achieve the many goals we have in common, IF we work together instead of tearing each other down. This is not, and never will be, a zero-sum game.”
Garlinghouse revealed that he does own XRP, BTC and ETH, “among a handful of others.” He added, “We live in a multichain world, and I’ve advocated for a level-playing field, instead of one token versus another. If a govt digital asset reserve is created – I believe it should be representative of the industry, not just one token (whether it be BTC, XRP or anything else).”
Skeptics continue to cast doubt on XRP’s suitability for government adoption. Alex Thorn, Head of Research at Galaxy Digital, underscored the issue of Ripple’s sizable holdings: “If you think a government would ever strategically hold an asset in which one for-profit company owns 46% of the total circulating supply, you need your head examined.”
Bitcoin advocate Jameson Lopp responded: “I gave up hope on governments acting logically long ago.” Thorn replied, suggesting he still holds out some hope for rational policy making: “Maybe i’m still a dreamer, for better or worse.”
A commentator going by Dark questioned Thorn on whether it is truly less concerning for a government to hold Bitcoin given the possibility that Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous founder, may control a large portion of BTC. Thorn emphasized that Satoshi’s stake (often estimated around 5% of total supply) remains untouched, while Ripple is known to sell portions of its holdings: “First of all, that’s a significantly lower percentage (5%) than Ripple’s ownership (46%), plus there’s no evidence that Satoshi has ever sold, while literally all Ripple does is sell. Seek help.”
When Dark suggested that Satoshi could be an “enemy state,” Thorn responded: “Well we hold oil and gold which are highly concentrated in the hands of enemies as well.”
Another factor possibly impeding Ripple’s efforts stems from reported tension with President Trump himself. A report in Axios quoted Trump chastising representatives of an unidentified company for their past alignment with then-Senator Kamala Harris. According to the report, Trump said: “You guys made this amount of money last year and you’re gonna make so much more now because of me… But when I needed you, where the f**k were you? You weren’t with me and maybe you were with [Kamala Harris].”
Although the company in question was not named by Axios, two sources told Unchained that these remarks were directed at Ripple. Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen is known to have donated $11 millions of dollars to political action committees supporting Kamala Harris—an act that could have soured relations with the Trump administration.
At press time, XRP traded at $3.16.
