Organization & Compilation: Deep Tide TechFlow

Guest: Eric Trump, American businessman, political activist, second son of Donald Trump

Host: Bonnie; David

Podcast source: Bonnie Blockchain

Original title: [Exclusive] Trump’s Son Eric Trump: My Dad is My Best Friend! Studying the Art of the Deal from a Young Age! America’s Ambition to Dominate AI, Energy, and Bitcoin! [Bonnie Blockchain]

Release date: May 12, 2026

Key Takeaways

In this exclusive interview, Eric Trump, the second son of Trump, shares Trump’s cryptocurrency strategy, why he founded American Bitcoin mining company, how the U.S. leads in the energy and AI race, and why other countries cannot catch up. He also recounts the story of the Trump family being betrayed by many banks.

He talks about the business and negotiation mindset he learned alongside his father, how "Trump: The Art of the Deal" influenced his life, and the intimate, warm side of Donald Trump at home.

Highlights

On why America must win the AI, energy, and crypto race

• "My father wants America to win in everything we do. He believes America must win in energy, must win in AI, and must win in cryptocurrency."
• "He ran for office with the idea of being the 'crypto president'. He believes in cryptocurrency, believes in Bitcoin, and also believes in digital assets."
• "If America doesn’t do it, Asia will; if America doesn’t do it, the Middle East will. So the U.S. must take the lead."
• "America is not just energy independent; we are also exporting energy. If Europe wants to challenge AI or cryptocurrency, good luck to them, as they don’t have that energy structure."

On the global value of Bitcoin and the advantages of the dollar

• "The position of Bitcoin in many international markets might be more important than in the U.S., the world's largest economy."
• "In places with severe inflation, terrible banks, poor governments, unstable markets, and rampant corruption, what’s better to hold than Bitcoin?"
• "Everyone wants dollars. Nobody wants euros, and nobody wants other currencies; they want dollars."

On the mining strategy of American Bitcoin

• "American Bitcoin was founded 8 months and 3 days ago and already has over 90,000 mining machines with more than 28 EH/s of computing power, accounting for about 2.5% to 3% of the global mining power."
• "The only premise of our company is to expand our Bitcoin holdings; our North Star is to increase the number of Satoshis per share."
• "If a company's money could have been invested in an asset that has grown about 70% annualized over the past decade but instead is paying exorbitant executive salaries, which creates more shareholder value?"
• "We believe in Bitcoin. Unless a catastrophic event occurs, it will be very, very difficult to make us sell our Bitcoin."

On the two Bitcoin company competitions

• "This is a race to see who can accumulate the most Bitcoin, and it is also a race to see who can acquire the most Bitcoin at the lowest cost."
• "Michael Saylor is a visionary; he is doing an incredible job at accumulating the most Bitcoin."
• "American Bitcoin wants to win another competition: who can acquire the most Bitcoin at the lowest cost."
• "What other goods or products can be mined at about half the market price? This is what American Bitcoin does every day."

On being abandoned by banks and entering the crypto industry

• "We did nothing wrong, yet we were chased out by the biggest banks in America like dogs; 300 accounts were closed overnight, just for political reasons."
• "This pushed us towards digital assets, towards DeFi, and connected us with others who were also abandoned by these banks."
• "The enemy of my enemy is my friend. This is what happens between the Trump family and the crypto industry."
• "If 5, 6, or 7 years ago you told me I would be so passionate about digital assets, I would have laughed at you. Now, nothing makes me love it more."

On fatherhood, childhood, and family relationships

• "I really enjoy walking on the construction site with my father, watching the most impressive buildings in New York slowly rise up amid the steel and concrete."
• "He is my best friend in the world, and I am immensely proud of him, very, very proud."
• "He still calls me Honey. I’m 42 years old, with gray hair in my beard, and he still calls me that."

New Federal Reserve Chair, Energy, Cryptocurrency

Host David: Eric, welcome to the show. Kevin Walsh is considered the next Federal Reserve Chair; he is very tech-savvy and closely linked to Silicon Valley. If he officially becomes the Federal Reserve Chair, which we expect, he might be the most tech-savvy Fed Chair in history. He previously said that Bitcoin and AI will be the driving forces of the American economy. What do you think this means for the future of Bitcoin and AI?

Eric Trump:

Let me put it simply. My father wants America to win in everything we do; he believes America must win in energy, must win in AI, and must win in cryptocurrency. This is his entire platform and his entire mandate.

My father ran with the idea of being the 'crypto president'. He believes in cryptocurrency; he believes in money flowing in a more efficient, safer, and transparent way than ever before; he believes in this industry, in Bitcoin, and in digital assets. So it makes sense that those around him share the same premise. If someone doesn’t agree with this, he wouldn’t bring them into his core circle.

If you look around the world, it becomes very clear. Look at the transformation digital assets are currently undergoing, look at tokenization, see what Bitcoin has accomplished, and observe the explosive growth in digital assets over the past decade.

Then combine those factors with another key point: We have a government that supports crypto, and the U.S. may have the best energy structure in the world. The U.S. not only achieved energy independence but we are also exporting energy. If Europe wants to challenge AI, good luck to them; if Europe wants to challenge cryptocurrency, good luck to them. They cannot do it because they do not have the energy structure to support it.

So we are going to win because we are the ones taking action first. We are also the largest economy in the world, and the advantages are clear. There's a government pushing this, and we have the energy resources needed to make it happen.

Since my father took office, the policy direction on cryptocurrency has changed 180 degrees. Under the Biden administration, it was almost as if everyone who wanted to improve finance in a better, more efficient, and modern way was thrown in jail. That is no longer the case; we will have a Federal Reserve Chair who is very friendly to this industry, and not just friendly but truly understands it.

Biden and Kamala Harris can’t even spell AI. They don’t know what they’re talking about and don’t want to understand it. My father wants to win this race and become the best in the world. By the way, If America doesn’t do it, Asia will; if America doesn’t do it, the Middle East will. So we are taking the lead, and this is what America must do.

Can the world win together?

Host Bonnie: Is it possible for everyone to win together?

Eric Trump:

I believe it can be. Clearly, cryptocurrency is digital finance on a global scale. I am the head of American Bitcoin and the founder of this company. I believe in digital assets.

I can even say that the position of Bitcoin in many international markets may be as important, if not more important, than its position in the U.S., even though America is the world's largest economy. In many places around the world, there is rampant inflation, terrible banks, awful governments, unstable markets, and complete corruption. In these places, what is more suitable to hold than Bitcoin? Because nobody can confiscate your money at midnight, institutions cannot lose your money, and capital markets cannot crash and wipe out your resources.

Suddenly, you have global liquidity available 24/7, 7 days a week. How is this achievable? Through your iPad or smartphone.

I can offer a viewpoint: The global community is actually the biggest beneficiary of this because it creates financial independence and freedom worldwide and connects global finance in unprecedented ways.

For example, if I need to wire money to Morocco right now, how do I do it? If I have to use the SWIFT wire transfer system, I need to find a bank in Morocco; who do I communicate with? Do we speak the same language? What is the currency exchange rate? Cryptocurrency eliminates all of this. It allows funds to be transferred instantly on a global scale.

So you ask if it will be global? It is 100% global. The entire concept of cryptocurrency and digital assets is to make them global. Who will be the biggest beneficiary? The United States. Because everyone wants dollars. Nobody wants euros, and nobody wants other currencies; they want dollars. I believe this is indeed a global initiative, but the U.S. will be the biggest beneficiary.

Why is Bitcoin mining coming to America?

Host Bonnie: Let’s talk about American Bitcoin. What is bringing Bitcoin miners to America? Bitcoin miners need jurisdictions with low energy costs and possibly lower capital gains tax environments. How can we make mining in the U.S. more advantageous for the miners themselves?

Eric Trump:

First, the U.S. has many tax policies to support this. For example, bonus depreciation allows you to deduct capital expenditures, and these mining machines, facilities, and energy infrastructure are clearly capital intensive. So the U.S. does have some advantages. Just like in other industries in America, if you are willing to invest capital in something, there are many related tax savings when you invest in infrastructure in this country.

Second, we have the best energy in the world. Try doing this in the UK, and you won’t get far. Their economy produces far less energy than they consume. They can't possibly win the AI race, can't win the crypto race, and can't mine Bitcoin. The U.S. has some of the lowest energy costs in the world. Looking at Texas, most of American Bitcoin's mining occurs there, where energy prices are among the best in the world. So we can be very competitive.

American Bitcoin went public 8 months and 3 days ago, and we now own far more than 7,000 Bitcoins. We built this company from scratch and now have over 90,000 mining machines with computing power exceeding 28 EH/s, accounting for approximately 2.5% to 3% of global mining output. This company was established only 8 months and 3 days ago; it’s an incredible story.

We are able to do this on American soil, using American energy. America must become the most dominant country in all crypto-related matters, as well as in all matters related to digital markets and digital finance. This is an important goal of mine and a direction I am sprinting towards very, very quickly.

Trump family and "The Art of the Deal"

Host Bonnie: I really love "The Art of the Deal" and even made a video about it. How has it influenced the way you view deals and business?

Eric Trump:

I have lived my life within "The Art of the Deal"; I can say I was born under "The Art of the Deal." When that book was published, I was still very, very young. It has served as my guiding principle in many ways throughout my life.

I run the Trump Organization every day. Before my father entered politics, I worked with him almost every day, every second. He is my best friend in the world. Those experiences and lessons have been deeply instilled in us, such as negotiating everything and operating in a very streamlined manner.

We do exactly the same at American Bitcoin. We negotiate everything and operate extremely efficiently. We probably have the lowest SG&A costs in the entire industry, and the gap is apparent. We can’t even find competitors with a cost structure and efficiency at the same level as ours.

American Bitcoin Strategy

Eric Trump:

We achieve this because we do not pay outrageous salaries to CEOs who are compensated in cash. At the end of the day, what are we trying to build? We want to build our Bitcoin holdings.

If you pay hundreds of millions to executives when that money could have been invested in an asset that has grown approximately 70% annually over the past decade, which do you think creates more value for shareholders? Is it executive pay, or is it actually collecting Bitcoin, holding Bitcoin, and letting it continue to grow and appreciate year after year?

Host David: How do you decide how much of the mined Bitcoin to sell to the market?

Eric Trump:

We strive to hold every Bitcoin. The only premise of our entire company is to expand our Bitcoin holdings. Our North Star is to increase the number of Satoshis per share.

Never sell Bitcoin?

Host David: Michael Saylor just mentioned he might sell some Bitcoin to fund dividends. What situation would lead you to turn and decide to sell some Bitcoin? If someone asks you if you can sell some Bitcoin, what would your reasons be?

Eric Trump:

It has to be a catastrophic situation. We are American Bitcoin, and we believe in Bitcoin. Regardless of what happens, getting us to sell the Bitcoin in our reserves will be very, very difficult. Our whole company’s sole goal is to expand these reserves.

Look at what is happening in the global ecosystem; you’ll see what retail investors are doing and what institutional investors are doing. You see the largest banks in America hoarding Bitcoin, and Fortune 500 companies are placing Bitcoin on their balance sheets in unprecedented ways. You also see market structure legislation and see countries around the world starting to follow the U.S. in embracing cryptocurrency in new ways.

Cryptocurrency is being adopted on a massive scale, especially Bitcoin, because Bitcoin is clearly winning this race. This trend is something we’ve never seen before. Since we consider it to be the perfect financial tool, why would we want to rid ourselves of this asset? So, our entire premise is to accumulate as much as possible.

Two competitions for Bitcoin companies

Eric Trump:

We believe there are two competitions here. Michael is my good friend, and I know you interviewed him previously. I’ve known Michael for 25 years, long before he got into MicroStrategy.

The first competition is who can accumulate the most Bitcoin. Michael does an incredible job in this area; he is very visionary. The second competition is who can acquire the most Bitcoin at the lowest cost. And I can tell you, at American Bitcoin, we want to win this contest; we want to be the ones acquiring the most Bitcoin at the lowest cost.

Can you grow $1 worth of wheat at a cost of 50 cents? Can you grow $1 of corn? Admittedly, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but clearly, you cannot; the gap is massive. Can you mine $1 worth of gold at a cost of 50 cents? What other goods or products can be mined at about half the market price?

This is what American Bitcoin does every day. Relying on our infrastructure, low-cost structure, and energy structure, this is a remarkable business model. We are also incredibly proud of the progress the company has made in just 8 months.

The enemy’s enemy is your friend

Host Bonnie: Why is Bitcoin important to you personally?

Eric Trump:

Digital assets are significant to me because we were once abandoned by banks. In the political realm of America, things are very brutal, just like politics everywhere is brutal; it is so in your country, in Canada, and elsewhere. But we were abandoned by the largest banks in America, and we did nothing wrong.

We have the best hotels, the best residential buildings, the best commercial properties, and the best real estate in the world. Yet we were chased away by many of the biggest banks, such as JPMorgan and Capital One. We were chased away like dogs, with 300 accounts closed overnight, and we did nothing wrong, simply because of politics.

This pushed us towards digital assets, towards the world of DeFi, and it connected us with others who were also abandoned by these entities. As the saying goes, the enemy’s enemy is your friend. This is what has happened between the Trump family and the crypto industry.

Later, we met the smartest group of people we’d ever encountered and began to embrace this industry, starting to understand it. Then it started making sense to all of us, to you, to everyone, and to all of us. I might have become one of the strongest supporters of cryptocurrency in the world, and this comes from someone who has spent a lifetime building hard assets, like the place we are in now.

If 5, 6, or 7 years ago you told me I would be so passionate about digital assets, I would have laughed at you. I would genuinely have laughed at you. But now, nothing makes me love it more. I love what I do at American Bitcoin, love what we do at World Liberty Financial, love what we do with stablecoins, and love what we do throughout the entire ecosystem. I am immensely proud of all of this.

Childhood and unforgettable memories with father

Host Bonnie: What is your favorite childhood memory related to your father?

Eric Trump:

I really enjoyed running construction sites with him, and loved walking on the construction site with him. As a child, watching some of New York's most impressive buildings slowly being built, seeing the steel structures, concrete, and main structures take shape, those memories are very special.

Those union contractors in New York are tough, but they are also among the best builders in the world. Those memories are fantastic. Also, as a child, I would build LEGO skyscrapers on the floor of my father’s office while he was in a very important meeting. Being there like an observer on the wall was truly amazing.

He is an incredible person. He is doing remarkable work for this country. He is my best friend in the world, and I am immensely proud of him, very, very proud.

Does Trump say "I love you" at home?

Host Bonnie: Do you say "I love you" to each other?

Eric Trump:

We often do, he still calls me Honey. He says, "Honey, Honey." I am now a 42-year-old man with gray hair in my beard, and he still calls me that. He jokes about it too. He says, "My kids, no matter how old they are, no matter if they already have kids and are married, they will always be my Honey."

He is a great person. I am proud of everything he has achieved. I am also proud of myself for running our company. Of course, I am also proud to be one of the leaders in the digital asset race. I hope that in the future, people will remember that we injected a lot of momentum into this asset.