Donald Trump agrees to new ethics rules to advance crypto bill, but hurdles remain

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The President has amassed significant amounts of crypto wealth while in office, complicating dynamics for senators drafting legislation to try to bring the fledgling digital assets industry into the mainstream. File | Photo Credit: AP

President Donald Trump had been hearing the message loud and clear for weeks about the sweeping cryptocurrency bill being written in the Senate: to get it across the line, he would have to agree to ethics provisions that apply to him, too.

First, Mr. Trump agreed to a measure that would bar him and his wife from issuing the types of meme coins that they swiftly launched as he prepared to return to the White House for a second time. And then another concession came late Sunday (September 13, 2026), when Republicans said Mr. Trump consented to a tougher ethics proposal that several key senators had demanded.

ALSO WATCH Trump reports more than $1.4 billion in income from crypto ventures

Now, a pivotal Senate vote on the cryptocurrency bill on Tuesday (September 15) could mark a watershed moment for the $2.3 trillion market — but it hinges mainly on whether those sign-offs from Mr. Trump go far enough. That vote could determine whether Washington cements crypto’s legitimacy into law or whether a frustrated, deep-pocketed industry unleashes even more campaign cash in the midterm elections.

“A vote against the Clarity Act isn't a principled stand against President Trump," Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyoming, the lead author of the crypto bill, told The Associated Press . "It's a vote against implementing tough restrictions on politicians for crypto investments.”

The President has amassed significant amounts of crypto wealth while in office, complicating dynamics for senators drafting legislation to try to bring the fledgling digital assets industry into the mainstream.

With that in mind, Ms. Lummis and Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, went to the White House for a meeting in mid-July and told Mr. Trump that he would have to abide by conflict-of-interest restrictions to get key Democrats on board with the bill.

The president agreed — with surprisingly little pushback, according to two people with knowledge of the Oval Office discussion, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the private talks.

The language presented in that meeting by Ms. Lummis, a longtime crypto backer steeped in the intricacies of digital asset policy, and Mr. Moreno, a blockchain entrepreneur and luxury car dealer known for his persuasive sales pitch, would bar all federally elected officials and their spouses, as well as federal judges, from issuing digital assets.

That would mean Mr. Trump would no longer be able to sponsor the type of meme coin he launched on the cusp of his second inauguration last January, nor would his wife, first lady Melania Trump, who also has a token.

But Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, then presented an additional proposal to the White House that went further.