Ex-POTUS and newly minted decentralized finance (DeFi) impresario Donald Trump made a campaign stop at a New York hangout famous for accepting Bitcoin (BTC), becoming the first former or sitting United States President to send a BTC transaction publicly.
“History In The Making”
A Fox News video on Sept. 18 shows Donald Trump entering the crypto-themed bar and restaurant Pubkey, and then, with the pub staff’s assistance, used Bitcoin to purchase at least a dozen cheeseburgers.
Trump made the stop at the NYC pub ahead of Wednesday night’s campaign rally in Long Island. Notably, Bitcoin proponent and Professional Capital Management boss Anthony Pompliano attended the campaign stop, also revealed on Trump’s Truth Social account.
“History in the making,” Trump said following his purchase.
“One of the most historic transactions in Bitcoin history was just made,” Pubkey wrote on its official X account. “President @realDonaldTrump buying burgers at PubKey with Pacchia. Block height: 861871.”
One of the most historic transactions in #bitcoin history was just made.President @realDonaldTrump buying burgers at @PubKey_NYC with @tpacchia.Block height: 861871You saw it here first. pic.twitter.com/moHUIKDxej
— PUBKEY (@PubKey_NYC) September 18, 2024
“This is a crypto burger,” the Republican Presidential nominee told the cheering crowd as he handed out the burgers to attendees in the pub.
The PubKey appearance comes two days after Trump spoke in support of World Liberty Financial, a DeFi project he and his sons have been working on. World Liberty was officially launched on Monday, and confirmed it will issue a non-transferable governance token dubbed WLFI.
During the launch event for the project, Trump said that he believes crypto startups will be “living in hell” under the regulatory regime of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) if his opponent, Kamala Harris, wins the upcoming election.
His exact words:
“If we don’t win the election, those people that were under investigation and that are free as a bird right now, and people that weren’t being looked at in the crypto world, they will be living in hell — because it will start the day after the election if they win.”
The Crypto President
Despite once calling Bitcoin a “scam” and saying crypto was “based on thin air,” Trump has advocated for BTC miners as part of his 2024 campaign, vowed to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the planet,” and even said he would fire unpopular regulators if reelected, thus allowing crypto entrepreneurs to launch products without fear of lawsuits or subpoenas from agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Crypto burst onto the 2024 election agenda in late May when Trump refashioned himself the industry’s candidate and started accepting cryptocurrency donations, asserting that: “If you’re in favor of crypto you’re gonna vote for Trump because they want to end it.”
Industry evangelists greatly see the November presidential election as their best opportunity to reshape the incredibly hostile U.S. regulations; many believe Trump is the candidate best suited to do it.
