Former U.S. President Donald Trump says bitcoin is an “additional form of currency,” emphasizing that the crypto has taken on a life of its own. He also lets people pay for his merchandise with cryptocurrencies. “There has been a lot of use of that, and I’m not sure that I’d want to take it away at this point,” Trump said.
Donald Trump Sees Bitcoin as a Form of Currency
Presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump shared his perspective on bitcoin in an interview with CNBC on Monday.
When asked how he views crypto, Trump reiterated: “Well, it’s taken [on] its own life.” He added: “I do little things sometimes for fun, and … make money with it but I have fun with it too.” He was referring to his sneaker sale.
His response prompted CNBC anchor Joe Kernen to ask: “You mean, you bought bitcoin?” The former president replied: “No, no, no, but I sometimes will let people pay through bitcoin, or will let people get involved in a new [currency].” He continued:
If you think of it, it’s an additional form of currency.
Trump added: “I used to say … I want one currency, I want the dollar. I don’t want people leaving the dollar and I feel that way, but I will tell you, it [bitcoin] has taken on a life.”
He proceeded to share the success of his “limited-edition sneaker” sales. “We did a thousand sneakers … and you could go through … our crazy new currencies because that’s what I call them. They’re crazy —whether it’s bitcoin or others.”
The former U.S. president added: “So many people were buying these things … The last pair sold for $450,000, people were going crazy for these sneakers … Every friend I have was calling me for a pair of sneakers. So it just took off.”
Trump noted: “And I noticed that so many of them were paid for with the new currency, it’s a new cryptocurrency, and I couldn’t believe the amount.” Bitcoin News recently reported that Trump’s crypto portfolio has seen substantial growth due to the rising value of ether (ETH) and maga (TRUMP) coins. Regarding crypto, Trump shared with the news outlet:
I have seen, there has been a lot of use of that, and I’m not sure that I’d want to take it away at this point.
Nonetheless, Trump stressed: “I’m very much a traditionalist. I like staying with the dollar, you know, make the dollar the choice. I hate when countries go off the dollar.” The former U.S. president emphasized:
I would not allow countries to go off the dollar because when we lose that standard, that will be like losing a revolutionary war.
He warned that the U.S. dollar losing its status as the world’s reserve currency “will be a hit to our country just like losing a war and we can’t let that happen and too many countries now are fighting to get off the dollar.”
Many people on social media interpret Trump’s comments as a sign of his bullishness toward bitcoin and a suggestion that he may not take a harsh stance on crypto if he returns to the White House. Trump’s stance on bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has evolved since his time as President, when he stated that they are “not money” and their value is “based on thin air” and highly volatile. He has also launched several non-fungible token (NFT) collections, and his crypto holdings from the sale proceeds have seen substantial gains.
Last month, Trump said: “More and more I’m seeing people wanting to pay [in] bitcoin … so I can live with it one way or the other.” Moreover, he has promised to stop the Federal Reserve from issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC) if he is elected president, calling it “a dangerous threat to freedom.”
Source: Bitcoin
