Former United States President Donald Trump has changed his tune on Bitcoin. From making anti-Bitcoin statements and calling it a scam during his tenure as president, Trump now says BTC is something he can live with and acknowledges its growing demand.

During a recent interview on Fox News, Trump was asked about his views on the rise of Chinese digital currency and whether the right way to counter it is through a decentralized currency network, such as Bitcoin. Trump, in response, said the U.S. dollar is still the top currency for him but, at the same time, acknowledged the growing popularity and adoption of Bitcoin:

“I like the dollar, but many people are doing it [using Bitcoin], and frankly, it’s taken a life of its own. You probably have to do some regulation, as you know, but many people are embracing it. And more and more, I’m seeing people wanting to pay Bitcoin, and you’re seeing something that’s interesting. So I can live with it one way or the other.”

Trump’s recent change of stance toward Bitcoin deviated from his earlier views when he was president. At the time, Trump denounced Bitcoin,called it a scamand reportedly ordered thetreasury secretary to “go after Bitcoin.”

Trump is currently campaigning as a candidate in the upcoming 2024 U.S. presidential election, and some people in the crypto community believe his recent change in attitude toward Bitcoin could be politically motivated to attract more votes from the growing crypto industry. Others also pointed out that he is just doing “exactly what Trump does best,” which is not fully committing one way or the other.

One X user, Blairja,believesTrump purposefully dropped a pro-BTC sentence followed by a pro-U.S. dollar sentence to gauge opinion. People compared it to a fishing mechanism to see what direction is most popular among voters.Over the years, many politicians have used cryptocurrency in their campaigns to attract a new generation of tech-savvy voters.

Trump is currently the front-runner for the Republican Party presidential nomination, with fellow Republican Nikki Haley trailing the former president.