Former President Donald Trump told the audience at a cryptocurrency conference in Nashville, Tennessee, over the weekend that he wants to turn the U.S. into the “crypto capital of the planet.”
The remarks thrust digital currency into the forefront of a presidential campaign in which both major candidates are seeking to draw contrasts on hot-button issues. The political attention comes during an upswing for bitcoin, the most popular cryptocurrency, which has surged 60% in value this year.
Trump, who opposed crypto as president, has recently undertaken a campaign blitz in support of digital assets. By contrast, likely Democratic nominee Kamala Harris has remained quiet on the issue since President Biden ended his reelection bid more than a week ago and endorsed the vice president in his place.
It should be noted that Trump has embraced using NFTs to grift his base.
He’s interested in the possibility of using it for scams, and also because coming name republican donors (like citadel’s griffin, black rock and others) are moving into that space and are telling him to deregulate in exchange for donations.