NASHVILLE — Donald Trump headlined the world’s largest cryptocurrency conference Saturday, a strategic move aimed at positioning himself as the presidential candidate who will help the embattled industry avoid overreaching federal scrutiny.
While speaking to more than 10,000 people at the 2024 Bitcoin Conference in Nashville, the Republican presidential nominee vowed the “United States will be the crypto capital of the planet and the Bitcoin superpower of the world” if he’s elected to a second White House term.
“If Bitcoin is going to the Moon — as we say — it’s going to the Moon, I want America to be the nation that leads the way,” said Trump, insisting the digital currency’s value could surpass that of gold under his leadership.
Trump also promised to end what he called President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ “war on crypto” — and to fire Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler, who’s leading a regulatory crackdown on digital currency.
“For three and a half years, the current administration has waged a war on crypto and Bitcoin like nobody’s ever seen before,” he said.
His vow to boot Gensler if re-elected president drew huge cheers from the crowd.
Trump also pledged to appoint a Bitcoin and crypto presidential advisory council to regulate the industry — but under new rules written by people “who love the industry” and want to help it grow.
While president, Trump was a big skeptic of the crypto market, saying in 2019, “We have only one real currency in the USA, and it is stronger than ever. It is called the United States Dollar!”
But he’s embraced digital currency in recent years, and his campaign began accepting donations in crypto in May, the same month he called himself a “crypto candidate.”
His running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio), has introduced and supported pro-crypto legislation. Vance, a former venture capitalist, is a stakeholder in Bitcoin.
Cryptocurrency backers are hopeful a Trump return to the White House will lead to Bitcoin becoming more mainstream.
Earlier Saturday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro hit the campaign trail in the Keystone State to stump for Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, while trying to move to the top of the list of frontrunners vying to become her choice for vice president.
Harris, the 59-year-old vice president, is embarking on a four-month sprint to the November election after Democrats ousted Biden from the ticket and the 81-year-old endorsed her.
Shapiro is widely viewed as a leading contender to become Harris’ running mate. He is popular in the Keystone State and viewed as a moderate who would balance out Harris — whose voting record as a senator made her the chamber’s most liberal, according to GovTrack.
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a former NASA astronaut, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz are also among the top contenders. Harris is expected to make her choice by Aug. 7.
Harris’ schedule Saturday included attending a fundraiser in Pittsfield. Mass., where she was expected to raise $1.4 million– a huge haul compared to the $400,000 organizers originally hope to score, according to Politico.
The vice president later addressed a virtual conference to Voters of Tomorrow, a progressive organization representing Gen Z and Millennial voters that are among the more than a dozen youth groups that have pledged their support to Harris.
Additional reporting by Jon Levine.
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