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The founder who was convicted of importation, the world’s crypto exchanger, said he was “surprised” by President Donald Trump to whom he was pardoned in a “special report” Friday.
“We have never met,” former CEO Changpeng “cz” Zhao told “special report” anchor Bret Baier in an exclusive interview. “We never talked.”
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In 2023, Zhao pleaded guilty to money laundering. He served a four-month prison sentence under the Biden administration. President Donald Trump pardoned him on Oct. 21, according to the Department of Justice.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavett was excused as “officially official[ing] The Biden Administration’s War on the Cryptocurrency Industry. “
Changpeng Zhao, Former CEO of Binance, speaks at the Delta conference, Malta’s official event and Digital Innovation event to promote cryptocurrency, in St Julian’s, Malta, on Oct. 4, 2018. On Oct. 4, 2018 Zammit Lupi (Reuters)
On Sunday, Trump said on “60 Minutes” in an interview that he did not know Zhao.
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The founder of Cryptocursencyncyn is forbidden to have a relationship with the Trump family, despite the street journal on the wall showing the pardon of Zhao that the “agreement” of the Cryptocurcency Project, the World Liberty Final.
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However, Zhao said he met the founder of American Bitcoin – and Trump’s son, Eric Trump – once at the Bitcoin Mena conference in Abu Dhabi.
Eric Trump, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of American Bitcoin Corp., during a Bloomberg Television Interview in New York, US, on September 17, 2025. (Kena Benancur/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Zhao called the WsJ’s reporting “categorically false,” denying any business ties to Trump’s sons.
He also revealed why he pleaded guilty to the violation of the Bank Financial Act, which includes failure to properly implement an effective anti-money laundering system.
“I think it’s the best way to deal with this problem and solve it head on,” he said, later adding: “I have nothing to discuss about these cases.”
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Zhao’s law has been cited by Trump’s Genius Act, which defined the Federal regulations for Cryptocurrency, as the US “leading” marker in Crypto regulations.
President Donald Trump during a ceremony to sign the Visual Act in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 18, 2025. (Al Dragon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Zhao argues: “The more transparency we have in the sector, the better.
“I think that in the last administration, even when I was charged and even when I pleaded guilty, there were not any clear regulatory frameworks for Crypto in the US, so I think that they are definitely happening,” it is added for sure, “it is definitely added.
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The Wall Street Journal responded to Zhao’s comments, saying “Special Report,” “We stand by our reporting.” Both FOX News and the Wall Street Journal are News Corp.
