Author: Tom Mitchelhill, CoinTelegraph; Translated by: Tao Zhu, Jin Se Cai Jin
Donald Trump appointed former college football player Bo Hines as the executive director of the newly formed 'Crypto Council' of the new administration.
The U.S. president-elect stated in a post on his social media platform Truth Social on December 22 that Hines—who unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House as a Republican in 2022—would be the executive director of the Presidential Advisory Council on Crypto Assets.
Trump added that the new advisory group—referred to as the 'Crypto Council'—would be led by the crypto and artificial intelligence czar he selected, David Sacks.
"In his new role, Hines will work with David to promote innovation and growth in the crypto asset space while ensuring that industry leaders have the resources they need to succeed," Trump wrote.
In 2022, Hines ran for the U.S. House seat in North Carolina as a Republican candidate but narrowly lost to Democratic rival Willie Nichol.
Hines and several other Republican candidates received funding from the American Dream Federal Action Super PAC and other PACs supporting crypto.
Reportedly, former FTX CEO Ryan Salame—currently serving a seven-year sentence for crimes including illegal political donations—donated $13.4 million to Republican candidates, including Hines.
Trump appointed former a16z partner as a senior advisor on artificial intelligence.
Trump also announced the appointment of former Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) partner Sriram Krishnan as the senior policy advisor on artificial intelligence for the new council.
"I am honored to serve the country and work closely with David Sacks to ensure that America remains a leader in artificial intelligence," Krishnan wrote in response to his appointment on X.
These appointments reflect Trump's ongoing support for the cryptocurrency industry. During his presidential campaign, he promised to make the U.S. the 'global capital of cryptocurrency,' raising millions from executives in the crypto industry.
He appointed other crypto-supportive individuals to key advisory roles, including billionaire Elon Musk.
On December 4, Trump nominated crypto-supporting businessman and former SEC commissioner Paul Atkins to lead the agency, as industry executives hope this move will weaken the regulators' enforcement actions against the cryptocurrency industry.