CZ Returns to US for Trump-Backed Crypto Event

The event held at Mar-a-Lago combined politics and digital goods, showing the deep relationship between industry and power brokers.

Former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao (CZ) returned to the United States this week for the first time since his release from a California prison in 2024.

The visit took place at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, where Zhao attended a 500-person meeting hosted by the Trump World Liberty Financial family.

CZ Appears at Crypto Event

A report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) revealed that the gathering included prominent people in finance, technology, and entertainment.

Guests included Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, New York Stock Exchange president Lynn Martin, “Shark Tank” personality Kevin O’Leary, and Coinbase founder Brian Armstrong, who also attended a small VIP dinner Tuesday evening along with Trump’s sons and CZ. Rapper Nicki Minaj, who has publicly supported the Trump administration, also held a “fireside chat” that day.

Posting on X during the event, Zhao shared a photo of himself listening to the crypto executive, writing, “I learned a lot.”

CZ, whose crypto exchange has been banned from operating in the US since 2023 for violating anti-money laundering laws, pleaded guilty to a related charge that same year. He was then sentenced in April 2024 to four months in prison and was officially released in late September after serving his sentence.

Later in October 2025, the crypto entrepreneur received a presidential pardon from President Donald Trump. In a recent interview on the “All-In” podcast, Zhao said he “didn’t do anything” to get mercy but noted that it could help the exchange restart its efforts to return to the US market.

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World Liberty Unveils Ambitious Crypto Vision

The leadership of World Liberty used the event to express their opinion on the cryptocurrency industry. CEO Zach Witkoff described the company’s mission as creating a “new digital Bretton Woods system,” referring to the 1944 conference that established the postwar economic system.

Its founders, Trump’s sons, spoke about the level of the event, Donald Trump Jr. joking that it would have been unthinkable a year ago. Meanwhile, Eric Trump compared it to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, saying it offers “better hospitality, better food, better weather, a better group of people, less anxiety.”

The company also developed its stablecoin, USD1, and revealed plans to sell digital tokens that would give accredited investors a portion of the loan from Trump’s under-development resort in the Maldives.

The president’s sons also addressed questions about World Liberty’s foreign investments, including a $500 million deal with an Abu Dhabi executive, stressing that these measures are normal for global finance and are not related to government deals.

Other Trump administration officials were in attendance, including Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Michael Selig and Under Secretary of Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg.