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California's Newsom pokes Trump, flagging convicted crypto allies CZ, Ross Ulbricht
Potential 2028 presidential candidate Gavin Newsom again goaded the president with a website highlighting ties to those with criminal records, including some in crypto.
Dec 17, 2025, 9:30 p.m.
What to know:
- The governor of California has drawn a lot of attention as a social-media foil for President Donald Trump, and Gavin Newsom has now opened a page on his state's website to put a spotlight on the president's ties to several people convicted of crimes, including in crypto circles.
- The site features those he's pardoned in the crypto space, including Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, Ross Ulbricht and the co-founders of BitMEX.
California Governor Gavin Newsom is continuing his colorful public campaign attacking President Donald Trump's reputation and behavior, this time launching a page on the state's website purportedly "tracking Trump’s top 10 criminal cronies" — a list on which the crypto world features prominently.
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The state's own website includes the new page, with comments from Newsom:"Trump is a felon who surrounds himself with scammers and drug traffickers," he's quoted as saying. "We’re providing the public with a resource putting the facts in one place so Californians, and all Americans, can see who he elevates and who he protects."
The site — otherwise seeking to make a point that California's crime levels have declined — includes sections on former Binance CEO Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, who Trump pardoned in October; Ross Ulbricht, the Silk Road founder who Trump pardoned in his first month in office; and the co-founders of BitMEX, who Trump pardoned in May. It includes stylized mug shots of those highlighted, including Trump, with a stamp "FELON" emblazoned on each.
The White House didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the site.
Newsom has been growing in national prominence as he continues an often tongue-in-cheek mocking of the president on social media, and the governor is widely considered a potential Democratic presidential contender in 2028.
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What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
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CFTC's acting chief Pham poised to go to crypto firm MoonPay once Mike Selig lands
The leader of the derivatives regulator is planning to join the crypto industry as the CFTC and other federal regulators work on policies to benefit the sector.
What to know:
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission Acting Chairman Caroline Pham confirmed again that she's heading to crypto firm MoonPay when the Senate confirms her replacement and he's sworn in.
- President Donald Trump's CFTC chair nominee Mike Selig was set for a Senate vote Wednesday evening, according to that chamber's schedule.
- Selig, currently an SEC official, would arrive at the CFTC just as several of Pham's crypto initiatives have gone live.
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