Former US President Donald Trump, currently facing criminal charges in multiple jurisdictions, has announced that his 2024 presidential campaign will accept cryptocurrency donations.
The Trump 2024 campaign launched a fundraising page on May 21, allowing eligible individuals to contribute crypto donations using Coinbase Commerce. The website displayed logos of various cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ether, Dogecoin, Shiba Inu, XRP, USD Coin, Solana, and 0x. The announcement referenced Senator Elizabeth Warren's criticisms of cryptocurrencies, accusing her, without evidence, of acting as President Joe Biden's spokesperson on the matter.
During a recent dinner for supporters who purchased a non-fungible token (NFT) featuring a mugshot of Trump, the former president expressed his intention to enable campaign donations in cryptocurrency. With less than six months remaining until the 2024 Election Day, Trump is considered the presumptive Republican Party nominee, poised to face President Biden, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee.
While Trump's campaign website now accepts cryptocurrency donations, his "issues" page does not currently mention digital assets or blockchain. President Biden has seldom made public statements on cryptocurrencies but did sign an executive order in 2022 to establish a regulatory framework for digital assets.
In 2021, after leaving office, Trump expressed skepticism about Bitcoin, calling it a "scam" while preferring the US dollar as the global currency. However, during his campaign, rival candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Ron DeSantis made statements about central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). Trump declared in a January 2024 campaign event that he would never allow the creation of a CBDC in the United States.