Topline
President Donald Trump said he didn’t know who Binance founder Changpeng Zhao was—despite issuing a pardon last month for the crypto billionaire who pleaded guilty to violating anti-money laundering laws—in a 60 Minutes interview that aired on Sunday night, where the president also talked about the government shutdown, immigration raids and China.
Key Facts
During the interview, the President was asked about his decision to pardon Zhao—who’s company has played a key role in boosting crypto projects backed by the Trump family.
Trump replied: “Okay, are you ready? I don’t know who he is…I know he got a four-month sentence or something like that and I heard it was a Biden witch hunt.”
The interviewer, Norah O’Donnell, pointed out that Binance “helped facilitate a $2 billion purchase” of the Trump family-backed World Liberty Financial’s stable coin and asked, “How do you address the appearance of pay for play?”
Trump said, “Well, here’s the thing, I know nothing about it because I’m too busy.”
On his family’s crypto ventures, the president added: “I can only tell you this. My sons are into it. I’m glad they are, because it’s probably a great industry, crypto… they’re running a business, they’re not in government.”
What Did Trump Say About The Shutdown During The Interview?
When asked about the ongoing government shutdown, which is on track to become the longest-ever in history, the president placed the blame squarely on the Democrats. Trump said: “The Republicans are voting almost unanimously to end it, and the Democrats keep voting against ending it.” The president didn’t offer any plan to end the shutdown and signaled that he expects the Democrats to eventually give in and vote to end the shutdown. “And if they don’t vote, that’s their problem,” he added.
What Has Trump Said About Healthcare?
Democrats have insisted that any deal to keep the government funded must include a commitment to extend Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, which will expire at the end of the year. If the subsidies aren’t extended, most enrollees’ premium payments are expected to double next year. Trump said the ACA, also referred to as Obamacare, was “terrible,” adding that “it’s bad health care at far too high a price.” He added, “We should fix that. We should fix it. And we can fix it with the Democrats. All they have to do is let the country open and we’ll fix it.” But when Trump said: “If we had the vote, that one vote, we would have great healthcare at a much lower cost,” O’Donnell asked, “But where is that plan? But where is that plan?” The president, however, didn’t share any details as he attacked the Democrats, claiming: “they want to give money to prisoners, to drug dealers, to all these millions of people that were allowed to come in with an open border from Biden.” Despite Trump and the Republicans party’s claims, undocumented migrants are ineligible for Medicaid or to purchase insurance through the Affordable Care Act.
