Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump met with multiple non-fungible token (NFT) buyers on Wednesday, May 8. He confirmed that he will accept cryptocurrency as campaign donations. Fox News reporter Eleanor Terrett stated that Trump emphasized he would put an end to the U.S. government's hostility toward cryptocurrencies.
In various video clips shared on Twitter by Frank Degods, an NFT creator and prominent influencer, Trump appeared to inform a group of NFT buyers that he intends to accept campaign donations in cryptocurrency form.
Trump said, "If you can't do it, I'll make sure you can. Can we use cryptocurrency to donate to the Trump campaign? I'm confident the answer is yes."
Trump also told the buyers that current President Joe Biden "doesn't even know" what cryptocurrency is.
"If you like any form of cryptocurrency—and there are many different kinds—and you support it, you better vote for Trump," he added.
Trump made these remarks at a gathering organized on a trial break day, where he met and dined with NFT buyers who had purchased NFTs featuring his portrait.
According to a dinner invitation copy cited by American media outlet Axios, attendees at the dinner had individually purchased over 47 NFTs, each priced at $99.
"We did this before NFTs got popular; we made NFTs hot again," Trump added.
Responding to questions about whether he would keep crypto businesses in the U.S., Trump explained that he would strive to retain them in the country.
"If cryptocurrency leaves America due to hostility towards it, we'll prevent it. We don't want that," Trump said.
He emphasized, "If we're going to embrace it, we must keep them here."
Data from CoinMarketCap reveals that "Jeo Boden," a meme coin based on Biden's image, surged 13.04% in price over the last 24 hours after Trump's comments on the coin.
"For a coin, that's a lot of money. I don't like that investment," Trump remarked after hearing that the BODEN coin's market value was $240 million.
Electric Capital co-founder Avichal Garg tweeted that Trump's transformation in his stance on cryptocurrency was "surprising." He stated, "Whoever is guiding him on this will nail it."
He further pointed out that if Biden continues his anti-crypto stance, the downstream effect will be that crypto shifts from being anti-Gensler (SEC Chair Gary Gensler) to anti-Biden and ultimately anti-Democratic Party.
In this November's presidential election, Trump will represent the Republican Party and face Democratic candidate Biden in a rematch.
Eleanor wrote, "The two presidential candidates stand on completely opposite sides of the crypto debate. Biden has clearly stated he stands with Gensler and will continue to back SEC-led enforcement. Trump has stated he will stop U.S. hostility toward cryptocurrencies and 'ensure' the acceptance of crypto campaign donations."