Trump To Speak At Bitcoin Conference: Industry Reactions

Former US President Donald Trump has been confirmed as a keynote speaker at the upcoming Bitcoin 2024 Conference. Scheduled to take place from July 25-27 in Nashville, Tennessee, this announcement was made by Bitcoin Magazine, the organizer of what is recognized as the world’s largest Bitcoin conference.

Trump To Speak At Bitcoin 2024

The organizers informed via email at noon on Wednesday that several speeches on the agenda have been rescheduled in view of a new “very special guest.” Trump’s 30-minzte speech is scheduled for the final day of the conference (July 27) at 2 pm CT. In a press release, Bitcoin Magazine declared, “President Donald Trump has been officially announced as a speaker at Bitcoin 2024. This announcement marks a significant milestone for the event, which has earned a reputation for historic news and major industry announcements.”

Over the years, the conference has been a platform for major declarations such as El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele’s 2021 announcement making BTC legal tender. The tradition of significant moments continued with US Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s emphatic endorsement of the industry at the 2023 conference.

This year’s conference, which marks a shift from Miami to Nashville, will feature two US Presidential candidates, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Donald Trump, slated to speak, the event is positioned to potentially influence future BTC and crypto policy in the United States.

Donald Trump’s inclusion as a speaker is particularly notable given his recent engagements and commitments to the BTC community. In the past months, Trump has significantly shifted his stance on cryptocurrency, embracing a pro-Bitcoin agenda.

Last month, he met with major US miners where he pledged his support to mine “all remaining” BTC in the US. He further asserted, “I will ensure that the future of Bitcoin and crypto will be made in the USA,” promising to uphold the right to self-custody for the nation’s estimated 50 million crypto holders if he is elected president.

Industry Reactions

The response from the industry has been a mixture of anticipation and skepticism. David Bailey, CEO of Bitcoin Magazine, stated via X, “July 27th we change the course of history.”

Ki Young Ju, CEO of CryptoQuant, a leading provider of on-chain and market data analytics, also took to X to comment and skeptically questioned the motives of Trump’s speech: “Is this a strategy to gain votes, or is it a genuine effort to make the United States a #Bitcoin nation? Does anyone know?”

Gabor Gurbacs, founder of PointsVille and strategist at Tether, provided a more politically charged reaction: “If Trump wins the election, America will grow two large orange balls. It’s time for America to get its balls back anyways.”

Matthew Pines, director at Sentinel One, emphasized the potential broader implications of Trump’s administration on global markets: “I don’t think most ‘serious’ macro analysts have given enough thought to just how bonkers a Trump administration would be for Bitcoin and attendant cascading geopolitical and monetary impacts.”

Zack Guzmán, an award-winning journalist, succinctly summed up the high stakes and significant promises associated with Trump’s participation: “CONFIRMED: Trump will speak at Bitcoin’s largest conference in Nashville – Expected to triple down on freeing Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht – Expected to (re)commit to banning a US CBDC – Expected to (re)affirm a right to self custody and mine Bitcoin in the USA. HUGE.”

At press time, BTC traded at $57,900.

Featured image from Reuters, chart from TradingView.com