Anthony Scaramucci, the founder of SkyBridge Capital, has a message for President Donald Trump: get out of the crypto game. Speaking at the 2026 Semafor World Economy summit in Washington, D.C., Scaramucci argued that Trump's personal cryptocurrency ventures are actively undermining efforts to pass essential legislation for the industry.
It's a bit of a weird spot for Scaramucci, who's been a vocal Bitcoin Bitcoin (BTC) bull and has praised the Trump administration's crypto-friendly stance in the past. But here he is, telling the president his side hustle is becoming a problem.
Trump's Crypto Ventures 'Hurting' Industry
The main target of Scaramucci's criticism is the Official Trump memecoin (CRYPTO: TRUMP), which, let's just say, hasn't been a stellar performer. It's down nearly all its value—we're talking about a 96-97% drop from its peak. Ouch.
"If you're in opposition to the president and he's launching meme coins, which are now down 96-97% right now, that's going to hurt our ability to get the legislation done that's important for the industry," Scaramucci said at the summit.
Think about it from a political optics perspective. If you're a lawmaker on the fence about crypto regulation, and you see the president's own branded token crash and burn, it doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the asset class. Scaramucci's point is that this kind of volatility and spectacle makes it harder to build consensus around serious, market-structure bills that the industry actually needs.
He clarified that, on pure crypto policy, he'd still take the Trump administration over a Biden one. But his preference is clear: "I'd prefer the president get out of the cryptocurrency business."
And he's not alone in seeing the risk. Back in January, analysts at TD Cowen warned that the Trump family's crypto projects—including the TRUMP memecoin and the USD1 stablecoin—could actually derail the progress of key cryptocurrency legislation. It turns out mixing presidential politics with highly speculative digital assets might complicate the regulatory conversation. Who knew?
Crypto Policies Matter But Aren't Everything, Says Scaramucci
This is where it gets interesting. Scaramucci has historically given credit where it's due. He's lauded Trump's foresight in recognizing crypto's potential and his appointments of key figures like former White House Crypto Czar David Sacks, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and SEC Chair Paul Atkins. That's a pretty crypto-competent team.
But Scaramucci has never been a full-throated Trump supporter. He remains a harsh critic of the president's broader economic and foreign policies. Earlier this year, he called on Republicans to "break ranks" with Trump, citing his "deep unpopularity."
So when asked at the summit if all the cryptocurrency progress made—or expected—under Trump was worth "everything else that comes with it" personally, Scaramucci didn't hesitate. His emphatic reply: "No."
It's a nuanced, and frankly very human, position. You can appreciate the regulatory appointments and direction while being deeply uncomfortable with the rest of the package. And you can want the industry to succeed while wishing the most powerful person in it would stop launching joke coins that crash and burn.
For now, the call is out there: a major financial figure is publicly asking the President of the United States to step back from his crypto ventures for the good of the industry's legislative future. Whether Trump listens is another story entirely.
