Popular American podcaster Alex Jones warned XRP holders that governments could eventually restrict or seize the cryptocurrency during a major economic crisis, drawing comparisons to the U.S. government’s 1933 restrictions on privately held gold.
Speaking Saturday on his podcast, Jones questioned whether XRP could become a target if governments and financial institutions increasingly incorporate the token into the broader financial system.
Notably, his comments were framed by the XRP community as a potential future scenario rather than a prediction that a seizure is imminent.
“Banks and the government then decide to write codes and regulations and laws that this is a banking asset and you’re not a bank,” Jones said. “They could very easily write something into the law that says any person that owns XRP can’t own it just like in 1933 when they confiscated all the gold you weren’t allowed to own it,”
He went on to argue that digital assets could be easier for authorities to control than physical assets because transactions occur through digital networks.
 
“Basically, anything is possible in a system like this. But it’s so much easier with a digital system. And I believe in a basket of things. Jones added. “You know, you should have gold, you should have silver, you should have Bitcoin, you should be able to skin a buck, run a trot line,”
The commentator also claimed that XRP has already been selected by major financial players for a significant role in the global financial system.
“XRP has been chosen by the majority of globalist banks and institutions and governments to be the main mode of exchange.” He noted.
That said, the question of whether authorities could actually freeze XRP held in self-custody is more complicated.
Last month, prominent XRP community member Jake Claver argued that U.S. authorities cannot freeze XRP in a self-custody wallet through the XRP Ledger itself. According to him, Law enforcement can trace transactions and potentially connect wallet addresses with individuals, but that does not give authorities direct control of the private keys.
“While investigators can link blockchain activity to specific individuals, this transparency does not provide the technical means to freeze assets held in self-custody wallets,” Claver said.
He further noted that authorities could potentially gain access if they obtained a holder’s private keys, including through the seizure of a physical device or a security compromise. XRP held on centralized exchanges presents a different situation because the custodian controls access to the account and can be subject to legal orders.
The XRP Ledger also has a clawback feature, but it applies to certain issued assets rather than native XRP. The source material specifically notes that native XRP is not subject to the clawback mechanism.
That said, Jones’ comments come as XRP continues to attract institutional attention. U.S. spot XRP ETFs recorded approximately $170 million in weekly inflows, while cumulative net inflows reached about $1.66 billion.
At press time XRP was trading around $1.41, reflecting a 0.55% drop in the past 24 hours.
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