NEW YORK – US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump made another overture to the digital-asset community on Sept 18, treating supporters to burgers at a bar in New York and paying with Bitcoin.
After being greeted by boos and yells of “loser” as he arrived at PubKey, a Bitcoin-themed watering hole near New York University in Greenwich Village, the former president was met with heavy applause from a mixture of self-identified Bitcoin enthusiasts and Trump supporters when he entered the dimly lit bar.
“Who wants a burger?” he asked.
Trump has been courting crypto aficionados not only for votes and campaign donations but also support for a new project called World Liberty Financial that he and his sons have been promoting.
Trump spent US$998.70 (S$1,294) on a few dozen burgers, according to Mr Drew Armstrong, co-founder of PubKey.
The Republican candidate paid for the food using a payments app called Strike, which is built on the Lightning Network.
The bar used the Zaprite app to receive the Bitcoin, the oldest and biggest cryptocurrency that has yet to live up to its promise as a common medium of exchange for transactions. The Diet Cokes were on the house.
“Bitcoin is really happening,” Trump said.
The pit stop on the way to a rally in Long Island marks the latest effort by Trump to build support among holders of cryptocurrency, which has gained more mainstream acceptance in 2024 despite a long history of scams and scandals.
In July, Trump gave the keynote speech at the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, promising to appoint crypto-friendly regulators and create a national strategic stockpile of Bitcoin if he returns to the White House.
On Sept 16 evening, he headlined a live-stream on the X social-media app to unveil World Liberty Financial, which is being billed as a decentralised-finance crypto project meant to compete with traditional banks.
Mr Thomas Pacchia, another co-founder of PubKey, said Trump’s presence was “huge,” “iconic” and influential for Bitcoin.
“A former president, a potential future president, this is a real coming of age for the Bitcoin community,” said Mr Pacchia, whose bar holds frequent events to educate the public about the original cryptocurrency and features a “shrine” to Bitcoin.
Mr Pacchia added that he believes the transaction marked the first time a former president has used Bitcoin to purchase goods or services.
Mr Matt Kita, 40, from outside of Philadelphia, has been attending the bar since it opened.
Mr Kita said Trump’s appearance legitimises the industry and could help him attract voters.
“I do think that there will be people here who will be swayed by one, a pro-Bitcoin stance, but the secondary effect is that more innovative approach to regulation, and allowing entrepreneurs to innovate further,” he said.
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Publish date : 2024-09-18 13:05:00
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