Why Donald Trump Including Cardano In The Crypto Reserve Surprised Even The Founder: 'Nice To See Progress'

Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson said he was blindsided by former U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to include (CRYPTO: ADA) in his personal crypto holdings, calling the endorsement a "pleasant surprise" that signals Washington's changing stance on digital assets.

Speaking in an interview with CNBC, Hoskinson said, "I got home from Florida, looked at my phone, and had 150 messages saying congratulations… and then I checked Twitter and saw the president had tweeted about ADA."

While Hoskinson initially advocated for a Bitcoin (CRYPTO: BTC)-only reserve, he acknowledged the inclusion of Cardano's ADA as a milestone moment for broader crypto acceptance in U.S. politics.

Trump’s Truth Social post also named XRP (CRYPTO: XRP) and Solana (CRYPTO: SOL) for the stockpile.

"There's no real clear criteria for inclusion or exclusion of altcoins," he said, "but overall, it's a good day. It's nice to see progress."

Also Read: Altcoin Rotation Is Coming, Expert Says: Will ETH, XRP, Dogecoin Benefit?

The Cardano founder framed the announcement as part of a bigger shift happening in U.S. policy circles. "I’ve never seen a more pro-crypto composition with respect to the U.S. government," he told CNBC. "We finally have people to talk to."

Hoskinson pointed to the 55 million Americans holding crypto and noted that many are young and lean left politically, something he argued the Democratic Party may have miscalculated in recent years.

"That political misstep opened a door for a more bipartisan approach," he said.

He cited current legislative efforts like the Genius Act, a bill proposing regulation for stablecoins, and emphasized that the U.S. must act quickly as other jurisdictions like Abu Dhabi, Switzerland, and Singapore continue to attract crypto businesses.

"We've lost millions of jobs and trillions in capital to foreign markets due to a lack of clarity," he said. "Good rules will bring that back."

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