US Defense Secretary Owns Bitcoin — But Holds Far More Cash

A new financial disclosure reveals Pete Hegseth holds a small amount of Bitcoin, while cash and retirement funds dominate his wealth.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is a Bitcoin owner — but only in a small way. A newly released financial disclosure (an official document top government officials must file to show what they own and earn) reveals he holds far more regular cash than cryptocurrency.

Here's what his 2025 disclosure shows:

Bitcoin holdings: between $16,000 and $65,000, kept in a Coinbase wallet (Coinbase is a popular platform for buying and storing crypto; a "wallet" is a digital account where crypto is held)
Cash: about $1 million sitting in a bank account
Retirement accounts: roughly $2.05 million to $4.35 million

His retirement savings include ETFs (exchange-traded funds — baskets of many investments bundled together and traded like a single stock). Examples listed were the tech-focused Invesco QQQ Trust and the Apollo Diversified Real Estate Fund.

Hegseth also recently sold shares in major companies including Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple.

Why does this matter? Hegseth serves in what many call the most crypto-friendly U.S. administration ever. President Donald Trump was heavily backed by the digital asset industry and recently pushed for major crypto legislation known as the Clarity Act (a proposed law meant to set clearer rules for cryptocurrencies).

Still, Hegseth's crypto stash is tiny compared to the Trump family's. According to reports:

Trump personally disclosed making more than $1.4 billion from the family's crypto ventures — his single largest income source
The Trump family (including sons Eric and Donald Jr.) made about $2.3 billion from four crypto projects through April 2026

This has drawn criticism. Some Democrats accuse Trump of profiting from crypto while also shaping the rules that govern it — a potential "conflict of interest" (when personal financial gain clashes with public duties). The White House denies any wrongdoing, and Trump has pointed to stock trading by members of Congress, such as Nancy Pelosi, calling for a ban on that practice.

Bottom line: Hegseth is technically a Bitcoin holder, but his crypto is a minor part of a portfolio still dominated by cash and traditional retirement investments.

This is an AI-generated summary. Read the original article at: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/news/is-us-defence-secretary-pete-hegseth-a-bitcoiner-this-is-what-his-accounts-say