Trump's Pardon of Binance's CZ Sparks Political Firestorm and Crypto Tensions

Binance's Expansion and Political Tensions as CZ's Pardon Sparks Controversy

Changpeng Zhao, Binance's founder, has reignited political debates in the U.S. following his presidential pardon and the exchange's strategic moves to expand cryptocurrency access across Africa and launch new tokens tied to the Trump family's crypto ventures. The pardon, granted by President Donald Trump on Oct. 27, has drawn sharp criticism from Democratic lawmakers, who accuse the administration of conflating business interests with executive power. Meanwhile, Binance's recent initiatives—ranging from local payment integrations in 30 African countries to Binance.US token trading with World Liberty Financial—highlight its aggressive global strategy amid regulatory scrutiny.

The pardon has become a focal point for political backlash. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Adam Schiff introduced a resolution condemning the decision, framing it as a quid pro quo for Binance's financial ties to the Trump family. World Liberty Financial, a crypto platform co-owned by Trump's sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, has already generated $802 million in revenue from token sales in the first half of 2025 alone, according to a Yahoo Finance report and an analysis of how Reuters tallied the figures. The Trump Organization's total crypto income surged 17-fold year-over-year to $864 million, driven by World Liberty's USD1 stablecoin and the TRUMP meme coin.

Binance's expansion into Africa, announced Oct. 28, aims to deepen its market presence by enabling fiat-to-crypto transactions via mobile money, bank transfers, and local currencies like Kenyan shillings and CFA francs. The move aligns with broader efforts to facilitate remittances and financial inclusion, though users must complete identity verification to access services, the Yahoo report noted. Simultaneously, Binance.US will begin trading World Liberty's USD1 and WLFI tokens on Oct. 29, a listing that follows a $2 billion investment in Binance by a UAE-backed firm using USD1 stablecoin.

The pardon has also triggered legislative proposals to restrict political figures from cryptocurrency trading. U.S. Representative Ro Khanna introduced a crypto ban for politicians, citing conflicts of interest. The resolution, however, faces an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled Senate. Binance's legal team has emphasized that the pardon removes prior restrictions on Zhao's business involvement, potentially paving the way for the exchange's U.S. market re-entry through a merger of its global and domestic platforms.

As Binance navigates regulatory and political challenges, its strategic partnerships with Trump-aligned ventures underscore the blurring lines between crypto innovation and political influence. The Trump Organization's crypto-driven revenue surge, meanwhile, reflects a broader industry shift toward tokenized assets and stablecoin ecosystems, according to Crypto.News. With the White House defending the pardon as a pro-crypto policy move, the fallout highlights the growing tension between regulatory oversight and the rapid evolution of digital finance.