Trump’s family cryptocurrency project, World Liberty Financial, has just announced its token distribution: 63% of WLFI tokens will be sold to the public, 17% will be allocated for user rewards, and the remaining 20% will be reserved for the team. This marks a significant milestone, or perhaps a turning point, in the long-quiet DeFi space, especially with a former president personally involved.
World Liberty Financial plans to offer cryptocurrency lending services on the Ethereum blockchain. The platform aims to be more “user-friendly” and accessible than existing solutions, based on the non-transferable WLFI governance token, and will certainly be compliant.
Before announcing the token distribution, Trump discussed his understanding of crypto for 30 minutes on Twitter Space. The 78-year-old, who has survived two assassination attempts in less than two months, continued to express his enthusiasm for crypto and criticized Harris during the live stream. He praised his children’s passion for cryptocurrency, acknowledged its development, and expressed surprise at the success of NFT sales and the proportion of payments made with cryptocurrency. Rhythm BlockBeats has compiled and summarized his remarks for readers’ reference.
TL;DR
· As usual, he thanked the Secret Service for their protection for the second time
· Provided his views on the current political environment, including criticism of the Democratic Party
· Expressed support for cryptocurrency, asserting that the U.S. should become the global hub for crypto, mentioning his family members’ involvement and influence in the crypto space
· Discussed the success of the launched NFT projects and the realization of cryptocurrency payment methods, emphasizing the potential of cryptocurrency in the art and collectibles markets
· Highlighted the importance of maintaining U.S. leadership in technological innovation, including in AI, cryptocurrency, and other emerging technologies
Can we talk about the recent assassination attempt?
Trump: We heard shots fired, about four or five of them. The Secret Service immediately recognized them as bullets, and I was with an agent; there was no doubt we needed to leave the venue. I actually hoped to make the last shot. The gunfire occurred because Secret Service agents spotted an AK-47, a very powerful rifle, and began shooting towards the location of the AK-47. The suspect jumped into a car, someone captured the license plate, and he was tracked down on the highway in a relatively short time before being apprehended. The Secret Service did a fantastic job.
This is the second time in less than two months that such an event has happened in your life. What do you think?
Trump: Well, there’s a lot of commentary, and it seems both individuals are radical leftists. The first one, they should know more about; there are undisclosed actions, which is strange. The shooter’s father found the biggest lawyer in Pennsylvania, which is odd. At that moment, I was down, and the Secret Service was right there; bullets were flying overhead, they weren’t hit, but the other three were hit. They were thought to be dead, but in fact, two of them survived. Typically, when gunfire is heard, we hear a lot of it, and a large crowd will start to run, leading to stampedes and many casualties. But no one ran; thousands of people, and no one moved. In fact, some of them stood up looking for the shooter and saw the man with the gun.
I mean, perhaps this is God’s way of wanting me to save this country as president. No one knows, but when I turned right, it was very unusual because people weren’t on the right; they were in front of me. As my head turned at a precise 90-degree angle, a bullet whizzed by, grazing my ear.
You have had everything, yet after multiple life threats, you are still here; you have been the President of the United States, and you may likely become the President again. Why do you do this? What motivates you?
Trump: We have a troubled nation, a country I love. I love the people of this country, and my supporters love this country; they hate to see what is happening. When you have 21 million people pouring in from all over the world, from prisons, mental hospitals, and as terrorists, they are entering our country at unprecedented levels, taking over our towns, our small cities and big cities—look at New York, look at Chicago, look at Los Angeles—thousands of these people, many of whom are violent.
If you look at Colorado, there’s a governor who doesn’t know what he’s doing; he’s scared there. He doesn’t know what to say. Gang members from Venezuela are actually taking over real estate; they are becoming real estate developers in a very different way, taking over buildings, and everyone is afraid of them. They have AK-47s, there’s MS-13, which is a terrible gang. We need to clean them out; we need to get them out. I love this country, and we will make America great again; we can do it. We have done it before, and we will do it again, and this time will be easier. The border situation is worse than ever; it’s the worst border in history. They haven’t done what they need to do. As for Kamala, she is the border czar; she is a Marxist who wants to tax everyone into oblivion, raising taxes to 70–80%. She wants an unrealized capital gains tax, which is the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. If she gets in, we will end up in a depression.
Cryptocurrency is trying to change the financial system, but it always feels like there is some force against us. Do you feel the same way, that there’s some power opposing you?
Trump: There are many bad places in the world. I want to resolve the Russia-Ukraine issue, the inflation issue. We are withdrawing from Afghanistan, but with dignity and strength; that was the most embarrassing moment in our nation’s history. Frankly, if it weren’t for that, Russia would never have entered Ukraine. If I don’t win, things will only get worse; we will ultimately become Venezuela, and we will face a Great Depression like 1929. We must ensure this person does not get into office; we cannot have a Marxist, communist president. We will make our country greater than ever before; you will be happy, and you will love your cryptocurrency. As long as you have cryptocurrency, you’ll be happy, so I want to make sure you are happy.
You mentioned, “America should become the world capital of cryptocurrency.” Why is that not the case now?
Trump: Well, right now you have a very hostile SEC; the government is against cryptocurrency, and no one understands why. My attitude is different. If we don’t do it, other countries will. We must be the biggest and the best. When you see the value and when you add everything up, the value of this whole thing is larger than the top 20 companies they’ve shown me; the number is just enormous. Cryptocurrency has suffered some credibility issues, but it is growing. I really believe in it, and I know many friends who are deeply invested. My children talk about wallets; he seems to have four wallets and understands it very well. It’s an emerging and massive business with the opportunity to become something special.
Has learning about cryptocurrency from your children influenced you?
Trump: It makes things easier. It’s a bit like a language; for example, my granddaughter speaks fluent Chinese, having learned it from a Chinese nanny from two or three years old. I think cryptocurrency is somewhat similar; there is a learning curve, and my children really understood cryptocurrency from the start.
Why is it so important for America to lead in cryptocurrency adoption and innovation?
Trump: This is about cryptocurrency, about AI, and many things. When it comes to the future of AI, it requires huge power capacity. If you take all the electricity from the U.S. to dominate in AI, you need twice the amount of power; who would think that? You need double the electricity we currently have. Some countries are already building power plants to support AI, which is very important, but we have environmental impact issues. Whether it’s cryptocurrency, AI, or other emerging things, we want to have a great country; we want to stay on top. We are making things now, and we are leading in many ways. One thing I am very proud of is the Space Force; now we are leaders in space. I have to say, Musk has done exceptionally well; he is my friend, and he strongly supports me as president. It’s incredible, but he has done a phenomenal job in space, launching rockets that account for 90% of the world’s launches.
Does America need a legal framework for cryptocurrency to allow businesses to thrive and survive here?
Trump: I think they should have one, and there should be some safeguards. Maybe some would say it’s a bad thing, but it isn’t; it cannot be completely freewheeling. I’ve talked with some major cryptocurrency figures, and they want safeguards, but the current environment is very hostile. As far as I understand, the SEC has been very hostile, really cracking down. I believe, to be frank, since they heard I was involved, their treatment of people has been much better. Cryptocurrency is something we have to do, whether we like it or not; we must do it.
Your NFT sales have been very successful; does that surprise you?
Trump: I entered the space very late; NFTs were considered niche. I thought it might take six months, maybe a year, to sell my NFTs, but they sold out quickly. Then we did a second batch, the same thing, and then we did a third batch, and people were very eager for the fourth batch.
Are NFTs an important part of the value story for digital assets?
Trump: A bit, because so many people pay through cryptocurrency. I did ask; the vast majority of people pay with cryptocurrency, which surprised me a bit. That was some time ago, and it opened my eyes. I think my children have opened my eyes more than anything else.
If there’s one thing that has changed the way you view cryptocurrency, what is it?
Trump: Perhaps it’s NFTs. Again, I was surprised by the proportion of NFT transactions made through cryptocurrency, as well as my younger sons’ enthusiasm for this. I also have many smart friends who believe in cryptocurrency.
