The Wall Street Journal questioned Trump's use of family companies to solicit bribes from Binance

According to the Wall Street Journal, representatives of US President Trump have held talks on taking a stake in the cryptocurrency trading platform Binance.US, according to people familiar with the matter. Possibilities include the Trump family holding a stake or trading through World Liberty Financial.

The article stated that Trump is increasingly blurring the line between the presidency and business activities, and business transactions with Zhao Changpeng, the largest shareholder of Binance who is seeking a government pardon, will create an unprecedented overlap between his business and the government. For the Trump family, holding a stake in Binance.US will give them the opportunity to participate in the potential revival of the US cryptocurrency trading market, which is booming as the US government removes the threat of restrictive regulation.

Binance.US's business fell sharply after regulatory actions, and Binance began exploring a return to the US market around Trump's victory last year. According to people familiar with the matter, the company expressed its willingness to reach an agreement with Trump's company and hopes to eliminate its legal problems. After Trump's victory, Binance set up a working group led by CEO Richard Teng, including senior legal and compliance personnel, to evaluate various options.

The Wall Street Journal stated in the article that last month, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) asked the court to suspend the fraud lawsuit against Justin Sun and his three companies after Justin Sun invested in World Liberty Financial and became its largest investor. According to a person familiar with the matter, Binance executives discussed internally whether to take the same route: injecting funds into World Liberty Financial in exchange for Zhao Changpeng's pardon.