The gilded doors of Mar-a-Lago swung open to a scene that could have been ripped from the dreams of a crypto evangelist. Throngs of suit-clad disciples fanned themselves furiously under the sweltering Florida sun, awaiting an audience with their newly anointed leader - Donald J. Trump, self-proclaimed champion of the digital asset world.

It was a surreal pivot for the former President who had once derided cryptocurrencies as being "based on thin air." But tonight, among the 200 faithful who had each shelled out $10,000 for a piece of his latest NFT drop, Trump was singing a very different tune.

"If you're in favor of crypto, you're gonna vote for Trump because they want to end it," he declared, taking pointed aim at the crypto-skeptic Biden administration. The 77-year-old political phenomenon may have been fuzzy on the finer details of blockchain tech, but his sales pitch was crystal clear - he was the industry's best hope against the regulatory onslaught.

As sweat trickled down the backs of the NFT haute bourgeoisie, Trump fielded queries from the feverish crowd like an ersatz digital prophet. His responses often betrayed more enthusiasm than expertise on the intricacies of crypto policy. But his supporters seemed unfazed, dazzled by his sheer gravitational pull into their realm.

"Biden doesn't even know what it is...he'll say 'What's that? Get me off the stage,'" Trump chuckled, mocking his political rival's presumed ignorance. The zinger landed among raucous cheers, cementing Trump's newfound role as the Great Promulgator of digital assets.

For nearly an hour, the bizarre scene played out - a former leader of the free world fielding breathless questions about crypto from fawning supporters who had paid a king's ransom for a speculative digital trading card emblazoned with his image. It was an unconventional campaign stop, to be sure, but one that highlighted Trump's remarkable powers of persuasion and myth-making.

As the hot sun finally dipped behind the palatial resort, bathing the proceedings in ghostly shadows, Trump's crypto courtship felt complete. He had arrived a skeptic but was leaving Mar-a-Lago a converter, backed by a newly anointed flock of digital believers. In Trump's world, reality and narrative often blurred. On this night, at least, crypto had been officially retconned as part of his story.