Federal officials in the United States could be prohibited from issuing or sponsoring cryptocurrency tokens until 2029, under ethics provisions included in the proposed CLARITY Act. The rules would cover sitting presidents, which means Donald Trump's crypto ventures would fall directly under the restrictions.
Senator Cynthia Lummis, one of the bill's main backers, confirmed the scope of the language herself. As she stated publicly, the ethics clause is written broadly enough to apply to presidential crypto activity, with no carve-outs for the current administration.
What the rules would actually cover
The proposal targets the issuance and sponsorship of digital tokens by federal officeholders, not just passive investment. That distinction matters: a president holding bitcoin would be a different case from one lending their name or office to a token launch. Trump has been associated with several crypto projects, including the TRUMP memecoin that debuted in January 2025 just days before his inauguration, drawing significant criticism from ethics watchdogs at the time.
The CLARITY Act is still in its proposed form, so the ethics language has yet to survive a full legislative vote. If it does, the 2029 cutoff would align with the end of a potential second presidential term, giving the restrictions real political teeth regardless of who holds office.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice.
