It’s only recently that Donald Trump has paid any attention to crypto. But now he wants to be the “crypto president,” and he’s raising digital assets as a geopolitical issue.

Asked on July 16 why he’s suddenly embracing the crypto community, he told Bloomberg:

“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.”
In the interview, Trump explained how the recent experience with his “Mugshot” NFT Collection “opened my eyes” to cryptocurrencies, saying, “80% of the money [from the NFT sale] was paid in crypto. It was incredible.”

“So we have a good foundation [i.e., crypto]. 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,” he added.