House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, is facing a wave of criticism online after claiming he had no idea of a cryptocurrency dinner hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump last week.
In a Sunday morning appearance on CNN ’s State of the Union, when being asked about the Crypto dinner, Johnson responded, “I don’t know anything about the dinner. I was a little busy this past week…so I’m not going to comment on something I haven’t even heard about.”
The remark quickly ignited backlash, particularly from critics who questioned how the GOP leader could be so disconnected from a major political or financial event tied directly to Trump.
While remaining quite diplomatic about the crypto dinner. Johnson explained President Trump’s approach to cryptocurrency, describing him as “very active” and “one of the greatest dealmakers of all time.” He emphasized Trump’s efforts to strike trade deals with over 75 countries, noting the former president’s focus on balancing trade and fostering innovation.
Johnson also highlighted the Trump team’s support for emerging technologies, including cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence. “We now have an AI czar in David Sacks, a respected industry expert from Silicon Valley,” he said. “There’s a lot of exciting momentum. The president is doing everything he can to support and accelerate that progress.”
The dinner was held on Thursday night at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia. More than 200 top investors in Trump’s personal cryptocurrency project—the $TRUMP meme coin—were invited to the exclusive affair. The event honored some of the most heavily invested supporters of the coin, which debuted in January 2025 and has rapidly amassed a market capitalization of approximately $2.5 billion.
