Former President Donald Trump has raked in $3 million in cryptocurrency fundraising since becoming the first major presidential candidate to accept cryptocurrency donations in May. On Monday, Trump selected the most pro-Bitcoin running mate since the technology’s inception.
Trump, once skeptical of Bitcoin, received $1.8 million of the world’s largest cryptocurrency by the end of June. He also took in $900,000 worth of ether, the coin associated with Ethereum, $300 of Dogecoin, and $100 of Shiba Inu coin, among other coins. The fundraising haul was mostly bolstered by a handful of cryptocurrency power players, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Nearly $2.5 million of the haul came from Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the co-founders of cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, and Jesse Powell, the co-founder of cryptocurrency exchange Kraken.
Trump’s ‘great choice’ sparks Bitcoin surge
In 2022, Trump’s recently selected vice presidential candidate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), disclosed that he owned between $100,000 and $250,000 worth of Bitcoin. After Trump announced Vance as his running mate, Bitcoin’s price shot up 8% from $60,295 to $65,220 on Monday.
Vance was already popular among cryptocurrency advocates for his legislative efforts to revamp how digital assets are regulated, and his selection as Trump’s running mate drew praise from prominent Bitcoiners, including dogecoin enthusiast Elon Musk and Coindesk commentator Nic Carter.
WHO IS JD VANCE? MEET TRUMP’S PICK FOR VICE PRESIDENT
“JD is a great choice,” Carter posted on X. “Former VC, and very good on crypto. Trump 2.0 is signaling a pro tech, pro silicon valley, pro american dynamism outlook.”
jokes aside JD is a great choice, former VC, and very good on crypto. Trump 2.0 is signaling a pro tech, pro silicon valley, pro american dynamism outlook.
— nic carter (@nic__carter) July 15, 2024
Musk called Trump’s choice to select Vance an “excellent decision” in a post on X.
Coming around on cryptocurrency
Trump said he was “not a fan of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies” in 2019 because they “are not money,” their…
..