The Republican candidate Donald Trump turned into a cryptocurrency evangelist on Saturday, promising that if re-elected to a second term in the White House in November, he would be the “pro-innovation and pro- bitcoin that America needs.”

“The bitcoin it represents freedom, sovereignty and independence against government coercion and the control of the Biden-Harris administration,” Mr. Trump said during a cryptocurrency conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

The former occupant of the White House promised that if he prevails, he will not only “keep 100%” of the bitcoins held by “the US government”, but will make the digital currency a “hard core of the national strategic reserves”.

“This will be my administration’s policy,” he assured, urging US cryptocurrency holders to “never sell” their bitcoins.

The Republican has rather recently changed his mind about resources of this intangible nature: he had come out against cryptocurrencies when he was president.

“If we don’t adopt cryptocurrencies and bitcoin technology, China will,” he reiterated. “America’s destiny is to lead, to outshine its adversaries, and we will not outsource our industries to anyone,” he blasted.

However, he acknowledged that for mining (ie “mining”, confirmation of transactions for a fee) and “production” of bitcoins and blockchain chains, “huge amounts of electricity” will be needed.

“We will build power plants in the facilities (…) We will use fossil fuels, because we will be obliged. We will use nuclear energy. We will produce so much electricity that you will say ‘please, Mr. President, no more electricity!'” he joked.

He also took the opportunity to criticize Kamala Harris, the vice president who is expected to be his Democratic opponent on November 5, as “a crazy radical leftist (…) who opposes cryptocurrencies”, saying that if elected she would end the “campaign” it says it is waging against the dematerialized digital currency.