- Former president Donald Trump planning to release a fourth NFT collection, according to a Bloomberg interview.
- Trump has pivoted to embracing the crypto industry, saying “if we don’t do it, China is going to pick it up.”
Donald Trump plans to release a fourth NFT collection, according to a wide-ranging interview with the former president published in Bloomberg Businessweek on Tuesday.
In the interview, Trump said his previous collections were “very successful” and sold out in a day: “The whole thing sold out: 45,000 of the cards. And I did it three times [and] I’m going to do another one, because the people want me to do another one. It’s unbelievable spirit. Beautiful.”
Trump previously teased the idea of releasing a fourth NFT collection at a gala for his mugshot NFT holders at Mar-a-Lago in May, but was non-committal at the time, saying “I believe in supply and demand. And as you know, one did great, two did great, three did great. At some point maybe that turns around.”
But as the crypto industry continues to rally behind Trump’s reelection campaign, the former president seems to be growing more comfortable embracing NFTs and crypto. In May, Trump’s campaign began accepting crypto donations. A Tuesday report from the Wall Street Journal citing new data from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) found that, of the roughly $331 million raised by Trump’s election campaign last quarter, about $3 million was in crypto.
Yesterday, Trump announced pro-Bitcoin senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) as his choice for running mate.
Major players in the crypto industry, including Kraken co-founder Jesse Powell and Gemini co-founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss have donated hefty sums to Trump’s reelection campaign and related super PACs, including the new Trump-focused America PAC and pro-crypto Fairshake.
“It’s not going away. It’s amazing,” Trump said to Bloomberg Businessweek about crypto, adding that he’s “gotten to know a lot of people” from the crypto industry at his fundraisers, calling them “top-flight people.”
Once an outspoken crypto skeptic, Trump told Bloomberg Businessweek that he’s pivoted to embracing the industry because “if we don’t do it, China is going to pick it up and China’s going to have it – or somebody else, but most likely China. China’s very much into it.”
“We have a good foundation,” Trump said of the U.S. crypto industry. “It’s a baby. It’s an infant right now. But I don’t want to be responsible for allowing another country to take over this sphere.”
Edited by Aoyon Ashraf.