Trump to use tariff revenue to buy more Bitcoin

The Trump administration is looking at several strategies to acquire more Bitcoin for the US government’s strategic crypto reserve, including using funds generated from import tariffs and revalued gold certificates, according to senior White House officials.

Bo Hines, Executive Director of the President’s Council of Advisers on Digital Assets, said in a podcast interview Monday that the administration is actively weighing ways to increase its Bitcoin holdings, with no options off the table. 

Gold certificate revaluation proposal

Speaking to crypto influencer Anthony Pompliano, Hines praised Senator Cynthia Lummis’ reintroduced Bitcoin Act of 2025 and suggested revaluing the Treasury’s gold certificates could add substantial funds for BTC purchases.

Bitcoiners have infiltrated the White House.@BoHines explains tomorrow. 5pm ET. pic.twitter.com/UII10KADXG

— Anthony Pompliano 🌪 (@APompliano) April 13, 2025

“We currently value many of our gold certificates at around $43 an ounce, which is drastically lower than the market price,” Hines said. “If we revalued those certificates at current gold prices, about $3,100 an ounce, it would generate a massive surplus of untapped capital.”

Hines mentioned that the surplus generated through this revaluation could be used to acquire additional Bitcoin for the US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve alongside the collection of tariffs. 

“That’s just one idea. But we’ll consider every possibility, including tariff revenue,” he continued.

According to Hines, the administration plans to maximize every legal and fiscal lever to expand the country’s crypto holdings. “We want as much as we can get,” he reckoned.

Lummis’ Bitcoin Act could help in acquisitions

Senator Cynthia Lummis reintroduced the Bitcoin Act earlier this year, proposing that the American government accumulate up to 1 million Bitcoins, roughly 5% of the total supply, over the next five years. 

Hines, referring to the legislation, called it an “interesting idea.” He acknowledged that the bill’s success would depend on how many co-sponsors Lummis can rally and how effectively she can garner bipartisan support.

“If we realize the gains on the US gold holdings, that would be a budget-neutral way to acquire more Bitcoin,” Hines stated.

When Pompliano asked him about POTUS Trump’s relationship with Bitcoin, Hines responded: 

“I think he’s made it very clear that he loves Bitcoin. He’s made it very clear that he loves digital assets and the innovation in this space, and so for us, you know, our goal is to deliver on his wishes to make the United States the crypto capital of the planet.”

~ Bo Hines, Executive Director of the President’s Council of Advisers on Digital Assets

Since he was appointed executive director of the White House’s crypto advisory council, Hines has held several meetings in the administration’s capacity to bridge ideas that would suit Trump’s digital asset policy. 

His calendar, obtained by news sources through a Freedom of Information Act request, shows over 50 meetings with industry stakeholders during his first 30 days in office.

Those meetings have included major players such as Andreessen Horowitz’s Chris Dixon and Marc Andreessen, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, and Bank of New York Mellon’s digital assets chief Caroline Butler. The gatherings have occurred in several settings, from Zoom calls and DC cafes to the White House and the historic Old Ebbitt Grill.

“I want to meet with everyone in this space, big players, small players,” Hines said during a recent sit-down at the Israeli-American café Tatte, just blocks from the White House. “I want to hear ideas from everyone.”

Controversy around Trump-linked crypto ventures

Hines was not asked to address any queries surrounding potential conflicts of interest related to President Trump and his family’s involvement in the crypto sector. These concerns include the controversial TRUMP memecoin and business ventures with World Liberty Financial.

Several Democratic lawmakers have made the TRUMP token a point in their conflict of interest argument. In a statement last month, Representative Gerald Connolly called the coin a “money grab” that netted Trump-affiliated entities more than $100 million in trading fees.

Similarly, Representative Maxine Waters bashed the coin’s launch on January 20, alleging it was a “rug pull” and labelling it an example of the “worst of crypto.”

David Sacks coined the Trump Solana-based memecoin as a “collectible” and denied any policy connection to Trump’s official crypto strategy.

Another unresolved issue involves the administration’s internal audit of US Bitcoin holdings. Under President Trump’s March 6 executive order establishing the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, the Treasury must conduct an audit within 30 days, but several sources, including Arkham Intelligence, place the holdings at just over 200,000 Bitcoins.

As of this week, the White House has not confirmed if the audit has been completed. Hines was not asked to comment during the podcast, either.

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