By
Kseniia Klichova
May 3rd, 2024
The plunge into the crypto and NFT world by Melania Trump is arguably the very first time a high-ranking US government-affiliated personality will pledge outright support for the emerging technologies.
As the digital currency ecosystem celebrates Bitcoin’s Genesis Block 13th anniversary yesterday, January 3rd, Former US First Lady, Melania Trump also joined in commemorating the day. Taking to Twitter where she has over 1.8 million followers, Melania said it is widely reported that Bitcoin’s total market capitalization surpasses $1 trillion, and further wishing the premier currency a happy birthday.
It is widely reported that Bitcoin's market cap exceeds USD$1 Trillion. Today marks the 13th anniversary of the Bitcoin Genesis Block. Happy Anniversary, #SatoshiNakamoto #MelaniaNFT pic.twitter.com/aZqNJFcZmd
— MELANIA TRUMP (@MELANIATRUMP) January 3, 2022
The first lady acknowledged Satoshi Nakamoto, the yet-to-be-identified author of the Bitcoin Whitepaper, also credited as the creator of the Genesis Block.
The interest of the First Lady was ignited a few weeks ago when she launched her Non-Fungible Token (NFT) platform dubbed “Melania’s Vision.” The platform was built atop the Solana blockchain and has a central theme to bring her passion for art and nation-building to the limelight.
“I am proud to announce my new NFT endeavor, which embodies my passion for the arts, and will support my ongoing commitment to children through my Be Best initiative. Through this new technology-based platform, we will provide children computer science skills, including programming and software development, to thrive after they age out of the foster community,” she said in a press release shared by her office.
According to the update shared as reported by Coinspeaker, the NFTs were available for purchase using credit cards, and in addition to the purchased NFTs, those who get them will also get an audio recording from Melania Trump “with a message of hope.” The plunge into the crypto and NFT world by Melania Trump is arguably the very first time a high-ranking US government-affiliated personality will pledge outright support for the emerging technologies.
A Divergent Stance Between Melania and President Donald Trump
While they might have been the chief occupants in the White House, President Donald Trump and Melania obviously had divergent views when it comes to digital currencies. As reported on multiple occasions by Coinspeaker, President Trump has always taken a jibe at Bitcoin (BTC), saying it is not real money.
In one of the reports citing a book authored by John Bolton and titled “The Room where it happened,” President Trump reportedly instructed the then Treasury Security to go after Bitcoin for fraud, affirming the school of thought that he was not a fan of the digital currency.
The former president’s sentiments toward BTC were reflected in the way regulators, particularly the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) handled key innovations (chief of which is the potential Bitcoin ETF product) that emanated from the digital currency ecosystem. No crypto ETF was approved during the Trump era with Jay Clayton at the helm of affairs.
That the former first lady is positively tilted toward cryptocurrencies is a promising outlook for the digital currency ecosystem, one that is expected to permeate to other government officials.