FameEX Hot Topics | White House: US Sells Bitcoin at a $17B Loss, Trump Vows to Hold

The White House has disclosed that the U.S. government’s past Bitcoin sales have resulted in over $17 billion in lost value for taxpayers. According to a fact sheet released on March 6, federal authorities sold around 195,000 BTC over the past decade, earning just $366 million at the time. With current market prices, those same holdings would now be worth more than $17 billion. The revelation has sparked criticism and led to a significant policy shift under President Donald Trump.

In a swift response, President Trump signed an executive order establishing a strategic bitcoin reserve to safeguard and build U.S. crypto holdings. This reserve will operate under a strict “never sell” mandate, aiming to position bitcoin as a long-term national asset. The initiative is being framed as a reversal of the Biden-era policy, which the Trump administration views as fiscally reckless and technologically shortsighted.

David Sacks, the White House’s AI and Crypto Czar, emphasized the magnitude of the loss in a March 6 post on X (formerly Twitter). He revealed that insights from Grok, X’s AI chatbot, helped uncover the details of the bitcoin sales. “The government sold 195,000 BTC for just $366 million. If we had held it, it would be worth over $17 billion today,” Sacks wrote. He called the absence of a long-term crypto strategy a serious failure in public financial management.

The launch of the bitcoin reserve signals a broader shift in how the federal government may treat digital assets going forward. Beyond serving as a financial hedge, the reserve underscores a growing belief that bitcoin has strategic importance at the national level. Officials suggest it could align the U.S. more closely with emerging technologies and help maintain economic competitiveness in a digital-first world.

During remarks at the first White House crypto summit on March 7, President Trump sharply criticized past policies: “The U.S. foolishly sold tens of thousands of bitcoin worth billions—mostly during the Biden administration.” He concluded with a firm new stance: “From now on, America will follow one simple rule every bitcoiner knows: never sell your bitcoin.”

Disclaimer: The information provided in this section is for reference only and does not represent any investment advice or the official views of FameEX.