As the 2024 U.S. election approaches and President Biden insists on opposing Bitcoin, many presidential candidates have revealed their holdings of Bitcoin and Ethereum in financial disclosures. Former President Donald Trump holds between US$250,000 and US$500,000 in ether, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has also confirmed that he holds between US$100,000 and US$250,000 in Bitcoin. The army of traditional American companies is accelerating its entry. Coca-Cola announced on Sunday (August 13) that it will list a series of non-fungible tokens (NFT) on Coinbase’s Base currency-free public chain.
Trump's recently released 2023 OGE financial disclosure document mentions an item known as a cryptocurrency wallet, thought to be worth between $250,000 and $500,000. The contents of the crypto wallet may be related to an NFT sale launched in December 2022 after he leaves the White House. The limited-edition NFT collection, which sold out within a day, included 44,000 digital trading cards featuring "Trump's likeness" in different outfits and poses.
据报道，特朗普的NFT冒险获得超过890万美元的销售额，为他赚取约298000美元的许可费，而收集收入的加密钱包由收取这些许可费的同一特朗普实体CIC Digital持有。
Former first lady Melania Trump also briefly dabbled in NFTs, converting several popular images of NASA's Apollo moon landings into digital works, selling them for $75 each. However, NASA criticized the venture, saying it violated the space agency's sales rules.
Interestingly, Trump, who has been skeptical of cryptocurrencies in the past, now owns cryptocurrencies. In 2019, he said he was "not a fan of Bitcoin," calling Bitcoin "not a currency." He claimed that Bitcoin's value "comes out of thin air." In 2021, at the height of his re-election campaign, Trump reiterated his stance on cryptocurrencies, calling the asset class "fake."
But now it seems that Trump’s position has changed from the moment he sold NFT.
Another U.S. presidential candidate, John F. Kennedy Jr., confirmed on Thursday that he definitely holds Bitcoin and purchased 2 Bitcoins for each of his seven children. He emphasized that Bitcoin is an anti-inflation currency rather than a legal currency controlled by the system, emphasizing that this move has the potential to help the poor escape poverty.
Further reading: Bitcoin will become a dollar reserve! U.S. Presidential Candidate: Buy 2 Bitcoins for Every Child “Buy an Anti-Inflation Poverty Alleviation Asset”
Coinbase, the largest crypto exchange in the United States, launched the L2 currency-free public chain Base based on Optimism technology in early August. The gas fee of this public chain is calculated in Ethereum. It also launched Onchain Summer, an on-chain event, inviting many well-known brands to participate, including Coca-Cola and Emerging artists have collaborated to launch a number of NFTs, which are open for casting and the event will end in two days.
可口可乐早在2021年就进入NFT市场，当时为庆祝国际友谊日，可口可乐推出4款具怀旧风格的NFT，透过OpenSea交易所进行拍卖。比特币当前已经从寒冬期走出来，但NFT迄今仍维持低潮，但越来越多传统企业的入驻，有助于提振当前的低迷市场。
This time, Coca-Cola invited a number of emerging artists to combine classic paintings such as Edvard Munch's "The Scream" and Johannes Vermeer's "Girl with a Pearl Earring" with Coca-Cola's classic bottles, allowing everyone to experience Art collecting is fun and creative.
Coca-Cola said: "This is more than just an art collection, it is a manifestation of the dynamic convergence between art, technology and human connection. By moving it on-chain, these collections transcend the physical limitations of traditional art galleries and expand its global influence.”
The price of the NFT launched by Coca-Cola this time ranges from 0.0011 to 0.014 Ethereum coins. However, since it is on the Base public chain, collectors must have Ethereum coins on the Base chain. Otherwise, they need to perform cross-chain operations before they can be minted. However, Base Credit card payment options are also thoughtfully provided.
As you can imagine, the entry of Coca-Cola has boosted the popularity of the Base public chain. According to DeFiLlama data, Base’s current total lock-in value (TVL) has reached US$119 million, surpassing the previous high of US$41.2 million during the BALD meme currency period. , TVL has increased by as high as 776% since August.
