The crypto community is waiting to hear the former president’s thoughts on cryptocurrencies and related policies
Photo: Joe Reddle (Getty Images)
Donald Trump has declared himself the “crypto candidate” and will speak at a Bitcoin conference in Nashville, Tennessee tomorrow . While this will be the first time a presidential candidate has attended the conference — the world’s largest annual celebration of Bitcoin — it has sparked a debate over whether Trump will have the support of the cryptocurrency community in the upcoming election.
Cryptocurrency is now Trump's new favorite
Cryptocurrency has become a political topic in this election year. Trump's stance on cryptocurrencies represents a significant shift. A few years ago, he denounced Bitcoin as a " scam on the dollar " and said central bank digital currencies were " very dangerous ." In previous years, he said cryptocurrency was " a disaster waiting to happen " and that he "didn't like it."
Now he says he’s “good” at cryptocurrencies . In addition, Trump’s campaign is accepting donations in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, Solana, and other cryptocurrencies . His vice presidential running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance , is also a crypto-friendly leader who holds between $100,001 and $250,000 worth of Bitcoin through Coinbase.
The crypto community is eager to see what Trump thinks about crypto. Trump has not yet announced how he plans to support the development of cryptocurrencies and blockchain through policy. However, he met with crypto miners last month and said that all remaining Bitcoin should be created in the U.S.
Moe Vela, a cryptocurrency expert and former senior adviser to Joe Biden, told Quartz earlier this month that Trump’s speech at the Bitcoin conference was a smart move, but that he “will only say what the audience wants to hear.”
Nashville has become a political arena. Who else is joining in?
The Bitcoin conference in Nashville has become a political playground. In addition to Trump, independent presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. will also discuss cryptocurrency during the conference. Kennedy, another candidate who supports cryptocurrency, has said that he wants to put the entire U.S. budget on the blockchain so that any American can access it at any time.
Vivek Ramaswamy, a former 2024 Republican presidential candidate and a pro-cryptocurrency leader, will also speak at the conference. Until last year, he was the only Republican leader who supported cryptocurrency and had plans for its future. Before dropping out of the presidential race, he received strong support from the cryptocurrency community. He often stated in his speeches that he wanted to end Biden's war on cryptocurrency and ensure that cryptocurrency and Bitcoin were made in the United States.
Some of the high-profile people who attended the conference included cryptocurrency advocates like ARK Investment’s Cathie Wood, MicroStrategy’s Michael Saylor, and whistleblower Edward Snowden.
