Former President Donald Trump’s campaign made history on Tuesday when it announced he would become the first major candidate for president to accept donations of cryptocurrency.
The announcement was made in a news release from Trump’s camp.
“Today, President Trump’s campaign has launched a fundraising page that provides any federally permissible donor the ability to give – through its joint fundraising committees – using any cryptocurrency accepted through the Coinbase Commerce product,” the campaign announced.
The news release concluded:
“This addition to President Trump’s already groundbreaking digital fundraising operation marks the first time a major party Presidential nominee has embraced cryptocurrency for donations. Contribution limits and disclosure requirements for crypto donations will follow Federal Election Commission regulations.
“Starting today, people wanting to make federally permissible donations to the Trump campaign with crypto can do so at: https://www.donaldjtrump.com/crypto."
⚡️BREAKING: Donald Trump campaign now accepting #Bitcoin and other #Crypto pic.twitter.com/7LEm5vA7a6
— Crypto Rand (@crypto_rand) May 21, 2024
The website states the former president is accepting eight different kinds of digital currency, including Bitcoin, XRP and USD Coin.
“Demonstrating President Trump’s success as a champion of American freedom and innovation, we proudly offer you a chance to contribute to the campaign with cryptocurrency,” the website states.
Trump’s crypto donation website adds, “Saving our nation from Biden’s failures requires your support. As Biden piles regulations and red tape on all of us, President Trump stands ready to embrace new technologies that will Make America Great Again.”
Trump campaign now accepting crypto pic.twitter.com/EFpanHhEXC
— db (@tier10k) May 21, 2024
The announcement comes as Trump’s fundraising has taken off.
According to The Associated Press, President Joe Biden’s campaign raised $51 million during the month of April.
That is no small sum and Biden’s campaign apparatus had been hauling in cash for months – much more than Trump’s.
But according to the AP, while Biden raised just over $51 million last month, Trump hauled in $76 million.
Biden’s donations for April were also down starkly compared to the month prior.
In March, Democrats collected $90 million to keep the White House.
According to Tuesday's RealClearPolitics average, Trump led Biden nationally by 1.1 points, or 46.7 percent to 45.6 percent.
A Harvard-Harris poll released last week showed Trump with a six-point advantage, well beyond the survey's two-point margin of error.
