Episode notes
“I think we set in motion a number of things that will come to fruition over the years.”
Trump put Bitcoin on the White House agenda. But will the US government actually buy it?
Patrick Witt, former executive director of the White House Crypto Council, joins me to explain what happened behind the scenes of Trump’s Bitcoin push and what still stands in the way of delivering on those promises.
We discuss the unfinished audit of government Bitcoin, disagreements over the authority granted by the executive order, and custody practices that included cold wallets kept in drawers. Witt explains the potential routes to acquiring more Bitcoin, the obstacles to congressional approval, and what Treasury might still be able to do under existing powers.
We also discuss his departure, why he doesn’t expect the White House’s central coordinating role to continue, and whether the administration’s Bitcoin policies could survive a future Democratic president. Finally, we cover the Samourai developers, the council’s approach to pardons, and Bitcoin’s response to the quantum threat.
This conversation was recorded before the 2026 US midterm elections.
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Danny Knowles: https://x.com/_DannyKnowles
Patrick Witt: https://x.com/patrickjwitt
