Trump's Financial Disclosure Reveals Ethereum Holdings Worth Hundreds of Thousands
In a surprising turn, the former U.S. President Donald Trump known for his skepticism on digital assets has disclosed ownership of a significant cryptocurrency portfolio, with a value estimated between $250,000 to $500,000. This revelation came to light through a recent financial disclosure.
This latest filing, submitted to the Office of Government Ethics, offers an extensive list of the former president's assets and sources of income. Among the entries within this 82-page document, a notable line mentions the "cryptocurrency wallet (Ethereum)" with a valuation of $250,000 to $500,000.
The disclosure of this Ethereum reserve comes unexpected, considering that Trump, the 2024 Republican frontrunner, has historically expressed skepticism about the value of cryptocurrency. Merely a couple of years ago, in 2019, Trump claimed he was "not a fan" of Bitcoin, dismissing it as "not money" and asserting its value was fabricated "out of thin air". Even during the peak of his re-election campaign in 2021, Trump continued his negative stance, referring to cryptocurrencies as "fake". "We have only one real currency in the USA, and it is stronger than ever, both dependable and reliable. It is by far the most dominant currency anywhere in the World, and it will always stay that way", Donald Trump said.
Yet, by December 2022, he released a limited edition collection of 44,000 NFT trading cards portraying him in many avatars. This NFT collection, consisting of whimsical cartoon depictions of himself in various heroic poses and attire, became a sensation. One illustration portrayed him in a space suit sporting sunglasses, while another depicted him as a superhero emitting laser beams from his eyes. Priced at $99 each, these cards were snapped up in a single day. Trump released a second batch by April in collaboration with NFT INC LLC, which also witnessed the same success.
This NFT venture seems to have added $8.9 million to Trump's coffers. Trump pocketed a neat sum of $298,000 in licensing fees, channeled through his dedicated entity, CIC Digital according to Forbes.
Former first lady Melania Trump also took a shot at digitalizing popular snapshots from NASA's Apollo moon missions, pricing them at $75 apiece. This move, however, faced backlash from NASA, as they believed it breached the space agency's merchandising rules.
