Donald Trump Admits Many People Use Bitcoin As A Payment Tool

JAKARTA - Former President of the United States (US), Donald Trump, gave his views on bitcoin and other crypto assets in an interview with Fox News. The interview was conducted with US Senator Tim Scott of the Republican Party, who supported Trump to run again in the 2024 presidential election.

Trump, known as an opposing central bank digital currency (CBDC) issued by the government, was asked if he would support bitcoin, which is the world's largest and most popular crypto asset. Bitcoin operates decentrally, without interference from central or bank authorities.

Well, a lot of people do it, Trump said, admitting that many people use bitcoin as a means of payment or investment. However, he added: "I've always liked one currency... I love the dollar." However, Trump doesn't completely refuse bitcoin.

Trump's stance looks softer than his statement in 2019, when he was still president of the US. At the time, he wrote on Twitter that he was not a fan of bitcoin and other crypto assets, which he said were not money, and had a very volatile value. Since his retirement, Trump has launched three collections of non-fungible tokens (NFT), which are unique digital assets made with blockchain technology.

Some observers already suspect that Trump will change his views on crypto ahead of the 2024 presidential election, given the increasing number of pro-crypto politicians in the Republican Party. Former US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) official John Reed Stark said in September last year: Crypto voters may be one issue voters and are strong and passionate constituents, so maybe former President Trump will change his crypto stance dramatically. Republican House of Representatives member Tom Emmer recently predicts: If the second Trump administration occurs, the president will be much more friendly to the crypto industry.