During the highly anticipated launch event of World Liberty Financial hosted by Decrypt’s sister company Rug Radio, former U.S. President Donald Trump attributed the triumph of his NFT collections to his newfound appreciation for cryptocurrency. His branded NFTs showcased how digital currencies like Bitcoin played a critical role in their success.
Explaining his shift in perspective, Trump mentioned that a significant number of his NFT trading cards, minted on the Ethereum scaling network Polygon, were purchased using cryptocurrency. This response from his supporters heightened his interest in the crypto domain.
“Many people paid with crypto,” Trump stated. “Had they used dollars, I would have considered it typical. But this really amazed me.”
From Crypto Skeptic to Advocate
Prior to releasing his initial NFT collection in December 2022, Trump was openly critical of cryptocurrencies. He had even voiced his disapproval of Bitcoin during his presidency, labeling it as something he was “not a fan” of, and went as far as calling it a scam in an interview post-presidency.
Seeing the sheer volume of crypto used to purchase his NFTs dramatically altered his views. Since his first collection’s success in 2022, Trump has ventured into three more sets of digital trading cards, the latest debuting in August.
Crypto’s Growing Influence
Trump expressed his amazement at the overwhelming majority of purchases made via cryptocurrencies. “I inquired about the proportion of transactions made in Bitcoin and other cryptos, and it was a significant majority,” he noted, revealing his surprise at the community’s engagement with his NFTs.
“It opened my eyes,” he continued, adding that his children, especially Barron Trump, played a significant role in this new understanding. Barron, at just 18 years old, is deeply knowledgeable about cryptocurrency and manages multiple wallets, which speaks volumes about the younger generation’s familiarity with digital finance.
Understanding the crypto industry, Trump likened it to an emerging yet massive enterprise with the potential to become exceptionally influential.
“Whenever I launch something, a significant amount of crypto transactions follow,” Trump noted. “This wasn’t the case even a year or two ago. The industry is enormous and yet just at its beginnings compared to its future potential.”
Edited by Andrew Hayward
Editor’s Note: This story was updated post-publication to include additional insights.
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