Trump family’s cryptocurrency ties raise concerns as administration loosens regulations
PBS News Hour - Segments
PBS NewsHour
4.1 • 1K Ratings
🗓️ 20 November 2025
⏱️ 8 minutes
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| 0:00.0 | As President Trump's administration has loosened regulations on cryptocurrency and pledged to make the U.S. the crypto capital of the world, his family's ties to the industry are raising ethical concerns and blurring the lines between business and government. |
| 0:15.0 | Our White House correspondent Liz Landers takes a closer look. |
| 0:18.0 | For more than a year, President Trump's two oldest sons, Eric and |
| 0:22.4 | Don Jr., have been on something of a globetrotting roadshow, preaching the virtues of cryptocurrency. |
| 0:28.4 | I think it's going to change our modern financial system forever. And promoting a crypto company |
| 0:34.0 | backed by the Trump family called World Liberty Financial. You know, we call it a world liberty because of the liberty aspect of it, but also because of the world aspect of it, right? |
| 0:41.3 | This isn't just about America. |
| 0:43.3 | Launched in September 2024, World Liberty Financial bills itself as a, quote, decentralized finance company. |
| 0:50.3 | Big news, the World Liberty Financial token sale is now live. Crypto is the future. Let's embrace this incredible technology and lead the world in digital economy. Go to worldlibertif Financial.com. |
| 1:05.5 | Its website features President Trump labeled as a co-founder emeritus and lists his three sons, Eric, Don Jr. and |
| 1:12.9 | Barron Trump, as co-founders. Also listed, co-founder emeritus Steve Whitkoff, now President |
| 1:19.4 | Trump's diplomatic special envoy, and Whitkoff's two sons, Zach and Alex, both co-founders. |
| 1:26.2 | A footnote on the website notes that both President Trump and |
| 1:29.3 | Steve Whitkoff were both, quote, removed upon taking office. Last month, President Trump |
| 1:35.4 | pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the billionaire founder of Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange. |
| 1:41.5 | In 2023, the company admitted to evading U.S. sanction laws, and Zau, known as |
| 1:47.0 | CZ, pleaded guilty to violating anti-money laundering laws. President Trump told 60 minutes, |
| 1:53.4 | after issuing the pardon, that he doesn't know Zao. I don't know who he is. I know he got |
| 1:58.6 | a four-month sentence or something like that, and I heard it was a Biden witch |
| 2:02.7 | hunt. |
| 2:03.7 | White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt. |
| 2:05.6 | He means he does not have a personal relationship with this individual. |
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