Trump ignores Epstein questions while announcing 'digital dollar' to make US 'crypto capital of the world'
Donald Trump has ignored questions about the Epstein files as the saga descends into a political crisis, while announcing a ‘digital dollar’ at the White House to make the US the 'crypto capital of the world'.
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The US president announced the ‘Genius Act’ during a bill signing ceremony at the White House on Friday, aiming to peg ‘stablecoins’ against the US dollar.
The signing ceremony was attended by a number of crypto executives, who see the bill as a victory as it lends legitimacy to the digital currencies.
The ‘Genius Act’, which Trump quipped they ‘named after him’, establishes a framework for the digital assets to become a mainstream way to make financial transactions in the US.
The bill, passed in the House by 308-122, was backed by almost half the Democratic party and nearly all Republicans.
“This signing is a massive validation of your hard work and pioneering spirit,” Trump told the crypto bosses at the signing event.
His ‘Crypto czar’, a South African-American venture capitalist with links to Elon Musk, David Sacks said: “This Genius Act will unlock American dominance in the crypto industry by creating clear rules of the road.
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“It will update archaic payment rails with a revolutionary new payment system, and it will extend US Dollar dominance, like you said, globally, by creating a digital dollar that people all over the world can use.
“And for every digital dollar in a crypto wallet, there'll be a traditional dollar in a US bank account, which will create trillions of dollars of demand for US Treasuries. So that is the power of this bill, is US Dollar dominance."
Trump also said he was committed to preserving the prevalence of the US dollar and the global economy’s reliance on it as a reserve currency, pledging never to allow the establishment of a digital currency central bank in America.
But Trump ignored reporters when he was asked about the controversial Epstein files, which have created something of a political crisis within the Republican party, creating a schism between the US president and his closest supporters.
"Why not go further than unsealing the (Epstein) files?" one reporter asked, to which Trump didn’t give an answer while music began to play.
He ignored at least one other reporter’s question about Epstein during the bill signing ceremony.
Pressure has been mounting on the Trump administration to publish the Epstein client list after politicians came out and said that it didn't exist.
There have been conspiracy theories swirling around for years regarding the nature of Epstein's death and who was involved in his activities. Epstein killed himself in 2019, but many have expressed scepticism that this is how he died. Instead, there are theories that he was killed to keep him from talking.
The files allegedly contain the names of rich elites that associated with the infamous sex trafficker - which included Mr Trump - and those who collaborated in his crimes.
His Republican supporters have also continued to criticise his administration's handling of the much-hyped records, leading Trump to blast his voters and colleagues for believing the 'radical left hoax'.