Senator Bernie Moreno walked through the basement of the Russell Senate Building, taking multiple questions from reporters in the same time period. The freshman senator, elected in the 2024 election cycle, defeated Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown while sharing the ballot with President Trump, who won Ohio by 11 points.
Moreno has served in the Senate since January 2025 and will be up for reelection in 2030. As he navigated the hallways, he addressed various topics, including crypto, data centers, and the upcoming resignation of Patrick Witt, President Trump's crypto advisor, who will be on military leave this month.
"Can't be hopeful because there's dumb, lazy politicians here. Because when they can't solve a problem, they find a bill," Moreno stated, criticizing the behavior of some Capitol Hill politicians.
He continued to discuss data centers, expressing opposition to them due to concerns about electricity costs, pollution, and the impact on local communities. "I don't blame communities for being against data centers because they're gonna suck up all your electricity, raising your electricity costs, take your taxpayer dollars, pollute your rivers, and then screw you over in the community for a benefit. Why would you want that?" Moreno asked.
Moreno also expressed confidence that the Senate will pass the Digital Market Clarity Act before Witt's departure from the White House. The act aims to settle a conflict between regulators and give the Commodity Futures Trading Commission authority over most crypto trading.
However, Moreno criticized Senate Democrats for some of their ideas on the bill, calling them "dumb" and questioning their public policy approach. He also emphasized that the issue of crypto regulations should not be partisan, citing a lack of understanding and knowledge about the subject.
When asked about the ongoing conflict in Iran, Moreno expressed confidence in President Trump's handling of the situation and reminded everyone that Iran cannot have nuclear weapons. "Forty-seven years. It's not gonna be resolved easily. But the Iranians have made a major miscalculation in that they forget they're dealing with President Trump. They still think they're dealing with dopes like Obama and Biden. That's the difference, and they're finding out. So look, at the end of the day, they will never have a nuclear weapon. Either they are gonna act like a normal nation, or they are gonna continue to get pummeled."
