Trump gently blocks his CFTC candidate after an SMS from the Winklevoss brothers

Trump likes to recall that he decides alone, but political power is never lonely. Behind the curtain, crypto patrons slide sms that switch an appointment. The Winklevoss brothers, billionaires from Bitcoin, proved it. Their millions weigh heavily in the choices of a president who says he is insensitive to pressures. This affair shows the contradiction of a power which roars its independence in public, while adjusting to the requirements of those who finance his ambitions.

When an SMS pauses an appointment in Washington

In February, Trump had appointed Brian Quintenz, former CFTC member, to chair the agency. Everything seemed traced after his hearing in front of the Senate in June. But at the end of July, an SMS exchanged with Tyler Winklevoss changes the game. The crypto billionaire was looking for insurance on the way Quintenz would manage Gemini's disputes with the regulator.

In the message made public, Tyler writes:

I would like to understand your thoughts and know how you plan to align yourself with President Trump's mandate to end the “Lawfare” and remedy it.

Quintenz declines any promise, explaining that only confirmation would allow him to act. Soon after, The twins solicit Trumpwhich asks the Senate to suspend the appointment.

This gesture shows how much a president can bend under the influence of financial allies, even when he claims to defend his independence.

The Winklevoss brothers, between crypto, massive donations and political influence

Winklevoss are not ordinary donors. In August, they paid $ 21 million in Bitcoin to a favorable political action committee to Trump. Already, their massive support had weighed during the 2024 campaign.

Their involvement in Crypto regulation is not a surprise. Gemini, the exchange they founded, set a dispute of $ 5 million in January 2025 with the CFTC. Since then, twins have denounced a “trophy hunt” led by the regulator. According to Quintenz, they were looking for a more accommodating CFTC president.

Faced with these pressures, he published on X a scathing message: ” I have never had the inclination of publishing private messages. But in the light of my support for the president and my conviction that he could be misleaded, I published here the messages which include the questions that Tyler Winklevoss asked me about their previous dispute with the CFTC ».

Thus, behind the support displayed to the president, hides a deaf battle to control Crypto regulation.

A weakened CFTC: the crypto regulator of the USA in suspense

Since September 3, the agency has been running with a single acting head: Caroline Pham. A disturbing anomaly because Crypto regulation has become a major issue in the United States. Even Josh Sterling, expected for the post, warned in a forum: leaving the “sub-staffe” regulator endangers vital markets for the American economy.

This lack of governance weakens an institution supposed to stabilize finance and support crypto innovation.

Some essential benchmarks

• $ 21 million in Bitcoin: Winklevoss donations to a pro-Trump CAP in August, to influence the Crypto agenda;
• $ 5 million: Payment paid by Gemini to the CFTC in January 2025, after a prolonged dispute;
• 3 alternative candidates: Sterling, Selig and Williams are now in the running for the vacant presidency;
• Since September 3: Caroline Pham has been the only active commissioner, managing a strategic institution for Wall Street alone.

This institutional vacuum weakens American crypto regulation, while Europe and Asia are already imposing their standards.

The current crisis recalls that, despite the blockages, the CFTC sometimes advances on sensitive files. It recently paved the way for foreign exchanges for American traders, clearly signals that the Crypto market remains at the center of regulatory priorities. But without stable governance, the United States is at risk of losing its place in the face of the better organized giants.