Pundit Points to XRP in Ripple Escrow as White House Confirms Plans to Expand Stakes in Private Firms

A pundit has floated the possibility of the U.S. government taking over the XRP in Ripple escrow, as the White House recently confirmed plans to buy into more private companies. Government to Expand Stakes in Private Firms For context, Kevin Hassett, director of the National Economic Council, noted on Monday that Washington intends to follow the same path it took with Intel. Last week, the government secured nearly a 10% share in the semiconductor company, tying the deal to earlier grant awards.  Hassett described that move as the first step toward building a sovereign wealth fund, an idea President Donald Trump has continued to support. He stressed that more deals like Intel's could surface in other industries as part of the administration's push to expand the fund. President Trump defended the Intel purchase on Truth Social, rejecting claims that the White House was interfering too heavily in the private sector. Notably, the announcement also landed amid Congress's introduction of the Freedom from Government Competition Act of 2025.  Lawmakers designed the bill to reduce direct government competition with private businesses by requiring federal agencies to source goods and services from private suppliers. The measure remains in committee and has yet to move forward. Could the Government Look to the XRP in Ripple Escrow? As the discussion over government ownership emerged, Zach Rector highlighted Ripple. Specifically, he asked whether Washington could eventually eye Ripple's escrowed XRP if it wanted to expand its holdings beyond traditional companies. Notably, Ripple currently controls 35.6 billion XRP locked across 14 wallets, a stash worth about $100 billion. https://twitter.com/ZachRector7/status/1960027376014049519 Rector's remarks revived speculation that first emerged earlier this year when the U.S. announced its plan for a strategic digital asset reserve. While the government added XRP, it ruled out purchasing XRP to fill the reserve. However, market pundits have continued to ask whether the XRP in Ripple escrow could serve as a potential source. Mounting Speculations Amid the discussions, Vet, a validator on the XRPL's default unique node list, explained in March how Ripple could hand over control of its escrow without waiting for tokens to unlock.  According to him, Ripple could simply change the regular key on the escrow accounts, effectively shifting ownership to the U.S. government or another entity in one transaction. While he confirmed it is technically possible, Vet expressed doubts that such an arrangement would ever take place. Meanwhile, in February, before the announcement of the XRP's inclusion in the reserve, attorney Jeremy Hogan argued that Washington would view XRP through the lens of national strategy rather than blockchain philosophy.  Hogan floated the idea of a possible government seizure of escrowed XRP, similar to past measures such as the 1933 gold confiscation. He said that if leaders believed XRP provided a hedge against global risks, they would not hesitate to act, either by taking Ripple itself or by controlling its escrow. Moreover, after Judge Analisa Torres denied a joint request from Ripple and the SEC for an indicative ruling in June, Brad Kimes, founder of Digital Perspectives, speculated that the ruling might have opened the door for Washington to eventually claim Ripple's escrow. Nonetheless, some dismissed this claim as a stretch.