After Trump's pardon, Changpeng Zhao put forth a stirring notion regarding Bitcoin’s genesis.
Following his absolution by the U.S. president, Binance exchange’s co-founder, Changpeng Zhao, penned a message alluding to the possibility that Trump may have been behind the creation of Bitcoin, using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.
On October 23, 2025, President Donald Trump exonerated Binance’s co-founder, Changpeng Zhao, thereby overturning his 2023 conviction for transgressing anti-money laundering regulations. This move aligned with Trump’s advocacy for cryptocurrency, aimed at positioning the United States as a vanguard in the realm of digital currencies. In response, Zhao quipped, as reported by Trading View, that Bitcoin’s cryptic originator, Satoshi Nakamoto, could indeed be Trump.
The pardon was characterized as an exercise of President Trump’s legally granted right to address the accusations leveled against Zhao by the Biden administration amid a perceived “clampdown on the cryptocurrency arena,” stated White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt.
Zhao’s subsequent post on X, playfully implying Trump’s potential role as Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto, gave rise to a surge of memes, speculative narratives, and a 59% uptick in associated betting odds.
In a stimulating declaration, Changpeng Zhao, widely known as CZ, the co-founder and former CEO of Binance, posited that President Donald Trump and the mind behind Bitcoin (BTC), Satoshi Nakamoto, might be one and the same.
CZ later conveyed on the X social platform (previously Twitter) that Trump indicated he hadn’t personally encountered him, adding: “I would regard it as an honor sometime. President Trump and Satoshi. They just might be the same individual.”
CZ’s remarks were preceded by a statement from President Trump, who observed: “Let me tell you, this was a man who I was told about, I don’t know him, I don’t think I’ve ever met him… he had a great deal of support, and they suggested what he did wasn’t even a transgression.”
Back in 2023, the originator of the Binance crypto exchange served a four-month custodial sentence after admitting guilt to charges pertaining to anti-money laundering (AML) breaches, gaining release in September of 2024.
Trump was initially wary of cryptocurrencies, especially Bitcoin (BTC). However, subsequent to initiating his presidential campaign the preceding year, he shifted his endorsement towards pro-cryptocurrency regulations, which has aided the expansion and acceptance of digital assets within the U.S.
