CZ Returns to Mar-a-Lago as Binance Controls Majority of USD1

Changpeng Zhao (CZ), the Binance founder pardoned by the president in October 2025, returned to the US for the first time since leaving federal prison in 2024 to attend the World Liberty Financial summit at Mar-a-Lago. He pleaded guilty in 2023 to anti‑money‑laundering violations, served a four‑month sentence and paid a $50 million fine before receiving a full pardon.

At the event he mingled with Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., attended panels — including one with newly appointed CFTC Chairman Michael Selig — and shared space with figures such as David Solomon, Lynn Martin, Brian Armstrong, Senator Bernie Moreno, Kevin O’Leary and Nicki Minaj; he said he “Learned a lot,” emphasizing policy insights rather than political optics.

The optics were striking: from federal prison to networking at the president’s club. The pardon removed long‑term barriers to US travel and business activity and allows him to rebuild influence within elite financial and regulatory circles.

United States, Mar-a-Lago

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