Former US President Trump no longer anti-Bitcoin, says can 'live with it'

Users on X pointed out that Trump’s recent change in tune towards Bitcoin could be just an election related tactic to attract crypto-focused voters.

Former United States President Donald Trump has changed his tune on Bitcoin. From being anti-Bitcoin and calling it a scam during his tenure as President, Trump now says that it is something he can live with while acknowledging its growing demand.

Donald Trump was asked about #bitcoin pic.twitter.com/bLA8TMMy5g

— Pledditor (@Pledditor) February 23, 2024

During a recent interview with Fox Network, Trump was asked about his views on the rise of Chinese digital currency and whether the right way to counter it is via Bitcoin (BTC), a decentralized currency network. Trump, in response, noted that the U.S. dollar is still the top currency for him but, at the same time acknowledged the growing popularity and adoption of Bitcoin.

“I like the dollar, but many people are doing it (Bitcoin), and frankly, it’s taken a life of its own. You probably have to do some regulation, as you know, but many people are embracing it. And more and more, I’m seeing people wanting to pay Bitcoin, and you’re seeing something that’s interesting. So I can live with it one way or the other,” Trump explained.

Trump’s recent change of stance on Bitcoin contrasts his earlier views when he was the President. At the time, Trump has not only denounced Bitcoin but called it a scam and reportedly ordered the treasury secretary to “go after Bitcoin.”

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Trump is currently campaigning for the 2024 U.S. Presidential elections, and people believe that his recent change in stance on Bitcoin could be attributed to that. Many users on X believe Trump cannot afford to neglect the growing crypto community. A few others also pointed out that he is just doing “exactly what Trump does best” – he doesn’t fully commit one way or the other.

Crypto proponents believe Trump purposefully drops a pro-BTC sentence followed by a pro-USD sentence to gauge opinion. People compared it to a fishing mechanism to see which direction would be most popular with the voting population. Many politicians over the years have used cryptocurrency in their campaigning as a way to attract a new generation of voters and appeal to tech-savvy voters.

Trump is currently the front-runner for the Republican Presidential candidate, competing against fellow Republican Nikki Haley.