Former first lady Melania Trump wishes bitcoin a happy 13th birthday with image of the genesis block

• Former first lady Melania Trump took to Twitter to pay tribute to bitcoin's 13th anniversary.
• The tweet came after she released her first NFT in December.
• Many were surprised with her embrace of digital assets, especially considering husband Donald Trump's anti-crypto stance.

Melania Trump took to Twitter Monday to pay tribute to bitcoin's birthday as the former first lady dives deeper into the world of digital assets.

"Today marks the 13th anniversary of the Bitcoin Genesis Block," she told her nearly 2 million followers. "Happy Anniversary, #SatoshiNakamoto #MelaniaNFT."

Accompanying her tweet is a photo of bitcoin's genesis block, the first block on bitcoin's blockchain. Unlike other blocks, this one is the only one without a block preceding it. This is why it is also generally described as "block 0."

Bitcoin's genesis block holds significant meaning to devotees since many view this as the key to potentially identifying Satoshi Nakamoto, the mysterious creator of bitcoin.

And while Nakamoto released bitcoin's white paper on October 28, 2008, many crypto enthusiasts recognize the day the genesis block was minted, January 3, 2009, as the cryptocurrency's birth.

In Trump's tweet, she also promotes her non-fungible tokens, which she launched in December. Marking her first foray into the digital asset space, the former first lady released a digital artwork titled "Melania's Vision," a watercolor art representing her "cobalt blue eyes." The NFT, designed by Marc-Antoine Coulon, was sold for 1 solana or roughly $150.

True to her December announcement of promising she will regularly release NFTs, Trump unveiled her "Head of State" collection Tuesday, which included another NFT designed by Coulon.

Judging by the replies to her Twitter post, many were surprised with her digital asset ventures, especially considering husband Donald Trump's anti-crypto stance.

Last month, the former US president said he is not a fan of cryptocurrencies and expects a crash in the future. In June, he called bitcoin a "scam" and blasted the asset for "competing" with the US dollar. And in 2019, he said bitcoin was "highly volatile and based on thin air."

Still, Donald Trump congratulated his wife's new venture on December 17 saying it epitomizes the "American spirit of ingenuity, creativity, and entrepreneurship."