Melania Trump expressed her support for Bitcoin during the 13th anniversary of its launch, weeks after she launched her own non-fungible token (NFT) endeavour.

       In a tweet, Ms Trump noted that Bitcoin had surpassed $1 trillion (￡742.3bn) in market value.

       “It is widely reported that Bitcoin’s market cap exceeds USD$1 Trillion. Today marks the 13th anniversary of the Bitcoin Genesis Block. Happy Anniversary, #SatoshiNakamoto #MelaniaNFT,” she said in the tweet.

       Ms Trump’s tweet came as Bitcoin’s mining hashrate – a metric to measure computational power used to process transactions – soared to an all-time high over the weekend ahead of the 13th anniversary.

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       Bitcoin was launched by pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto on 3 January 2009.

       The first block of the Bitcoin blockchain, known as the “genesis block” was believed to be mined by the anonymous founder, whose identity remains a mystery to date and has been subject to endless speculation.

       Ms Trump launched her own NFT platform after she premiered her offering – a digital watercolour painting of her own eyes – on 16 December, joining a growing list of celebrities offering their own digital art and memorabilia.

       “I am proud to announce my new NFT endeavour, which embodies my passion for the arts and will support my ongoing commitment to children through my Be Best initiative,” Ms Trump had said in a statement.

       It was her first public project almost a year after husband Donald Trump exited the White House.

       Ms Trump will release NFTs “in regular intervals” on her website and a portion of the proceedings will be given to foster children, according to the press release.

       Her website claimed the NFT provides “the collector with an amulet to inspire.”

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       The NFT will cost 1 SOL (approximately $150 or ￡111) and will use the Solana blockchain powered by right-wing social media platform Parler.

       In June last year, El Salvador became the first country to use Bitcoin as legal tender to be used to pay for goods and taxes.