Since returning to the White House in January 2025, President Donald Trump has been viewed by many in the cryptocurrency industry as a potential ally amid evolving regulatory dynamics.
Earlier this month, a private dinner at Mar-a-Lago convened several prominent figures from the crypto and blockchain sectors. As reported by CBS News, the event overlapped with a broader fundraiser and reception for the LIV Golf league, but also featured a smaller, private gathering that included digital asset executives.
Among the guests at that dinner, for example, was John Wu, President of Ava Labs—the company behind the Avalanche blockchain platform. According to a person familiar with the gathering, Ava Labs contributed $1 million to MAGA, Inc., the political action committee supporting Trump’s reelection. The contribution, not yet disclosed publicly, is expected to appear in the July 15th Federal Election Commission filing.
Founded in 2018, Ava Labs has established itself as a major player in blockchain infrastructure. The firm’s Avalanche platform is designed to support decentralized applications through a network of interoperable blockchains. Wu, a former hedge fund manager, joined Ava Labs in 2020 to help scale the company’s global reach and industry influence.
His presence at the Mar-a-Lago dinner tracks with views he expressed during the 2024 campaign. In a Fox Business interview last July, Wu praised Trump for his consistency and leadership on crypto-related issues.
“Donald Trump has shown great leadership,” Wu told host Neil Cavuto. “He has been very consistent with pro-business, pro-innovation, and pro-America. For me as an operator, it’s great.”
Those remarks came as the crypto industry pushed back against what it viewed as regulatory overreach during the final year of the Biden administration. Biden-era SEC Chair Gary Gensler had pursued a string of enforcement actions, prompting criticism from blockchain advocates and prompting firms to reevaluate their policy engagement strategies.
Since January, companies across the sector have noted a shift in tone from the federal government. While formal crypto policy proposals from the Trump administration have yet to materialize, there are early indications of a more open and collaborative approach to innovation and decentralized technologies.
The upcoming campaign finance disclosures will offer a clearer picture of how the crypto industry invested politically during the 2024 cycle. But the April dinner—and the participation of firms like Ava Labs—suggests that industry players are not just observing from the outside. They’re beginning to invest more directly in shaping the policy conversation.
