Former White House Advisor: Trump Still Intends to Buy Bitcoin, but Faces Legal Obstacles

According to Bitcoin.com News, former White House crypto advisor Patrick Witt stated that U.S. President Trump still intends to purchase Bitcoin for the U.S. strategic Bitcoin reserve, but open market purchases face serious legal issues. Witt said on the What Bitcoin Did podcast that the president is interested in this, with extensive discussions taking place. An executive order in March 2025 established the reserve, pooling Bitcoins already seized by the government, and directed the Treasury Department and the Commerce Department to seek "budget-neutral" acquisition strategies;

No such strategy has been made public yet, nor have any open market purchases been announced. Witt noted that since Congress controls federal spending, direct open market purchases are of "questionable legality." He added that concerns over the purchases "prompted Congress to add a provision to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) stipulating that this cannot be done." He clarified that efforts are underway to secure its approval and authorization. Witt pointed out that making the reserve permanent would be even more difficult; passing a standalone bill through a divided Congress would be extremely challenging, and without legislation, the reserve would rely on an executive order that could be revoked by future presidents.