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Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss said Thursday that they collectively donated $2 million in Bitcoin to support the presidential campaign of former U.S. President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.
The pair, who co-founded crypto exchange Gemini and previously co-founded Facebook, donated 30.94 BTC in total (15.47 BTC each). Gemini also announced Thursday that customers can now make cryptocurrency donations to “pro-crypto” candidates.
“President Donald J. Trump is the pro-Bitcoin, pro-crypto, and pro-business choice,” Tyler Winklevoss wrote on Twitter (aka X). “This is not even remotely open for debate. Anyone who tells you otherwise is severely misinformed, delusional, or not telling the truth. It’s time to take our country back.
Winklevoss accused the Biden Administration of weaponizing the federal government and banking system against the crypto space, continuing policies first established with Operation Choke Point under the Obama Administration where Biden served as Vice President. He described it as a “war on crypto.”
I also just donated $1 million in bitcoin (15.47 BTC) to @realDonaldTrump and will be voting for him in November.
Here’s the TL;DR — President Trump is:
Pro-Bitcoin Pro-Crypto Pro-Business
And he will put an end to the Biden Administration’s war on crypto. Onward! https://t.co/r6iDP7BdbE
“This Administration’s actions have been nothing short of an unprecedented abuse of power wielded entirely for twisted political gain at the complete expense of innovation, the American taxpayer, and the American economy,” Winklevoss continued. “There is nothing the Biden Administration can do or say at this point to pretend otherwise.”
“Crypto innovators and others in the technology sector are under attack from Biden and Democrats,” Trump campaign senior advisor Brian Hughes told Decrypt. “While Biden stifles innovation with more regulation and higher taxes, President Trump is ready to encourage American leadership in this and other emerging technologies. We are proud to have these renowned tech leaders support President Trump’s campaign.”
It’s unclear where the funds were sent due to limits on donations to candidates and political parties that are far below the amount that each said they donated. It’s likely that they donated to political action committees (PACs) that support Trump, which are exempt from such limits but are required to operate independently from the candidates’ campaigns.
In May, following the lead of independent presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy Jr., Trump began accepting donations in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies following a dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort with holders of Trump NFTs.
I am not a fan of Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air. Unregulated Crypto Assets can facilitate unlawful behavior, including drug trade and other illegal activity….
That same month, analysts at UK-based Standard Chartered said a Trump win in November would be good for Bitcoin. He has made similar comments since regarding a desire to support cryptocurrency in the United States, and to ensure that the Bitcoin mining industry can thrive in the country.
It’s an apparent change of heart, however. Trump has historically been anti-crypto, calling the premise of such digital currency “based on thin air,” in a 2019 tweet while U.S. president. In 2021, after leaving the White House, he said in an interview that Bitcoin “feels like a scam.”
This story was updated after publication to include comments from the Trump campaign and to add additional details. Edited by Andrew Hayward
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