Trump to Address Bitcoin Event in Show of Support for Crypto

(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump will speak at a Bitcoin conference this month, according to the event’s organizers, an address that would highlight his growing embrace of the cryptocurrency industry.

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The presumptive Republican presidential nominee is due to deliver his speech on July 27 on the main stage of the Bitcoin 2024 event in Nashville, Tennessee, organizer BTC Media LLC said in a statement late Wednesday.

Brandon Green, chief of staff and head of events at BTC Media, said he can’t comment on what Trump is going to talk about.

The former president has increasingly highlighted Bitcoin on the campaign trail. He met with some miners of the digital asset last month and in a subsequent post on his Truth Social account said Bitcoin mining may be “our last line of defense against a CBDC,” referring to a central bank digital currency. He added that he wants all remaining Bitcoin to be “MADE IN THE USA!!!”

The crypto sector is trying to bolster candidates seen as favorable to digital assets, including through big donations to the Fairshake political action committee. The industry has emerged as an influential player in the 2024 election in part to push back against a regulatory clampdown spearheaded by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Trump has positioned himself as pro-crypto to court voters and his campaign also accepts donations in digital assets. A person familiar with the matter earlier said Trump has discussed crypto policy with billionaire Elon Musk.

Bitcoin rose about 1% to $57,760 as of 6:30 a.m. Thursday in London. The original and largest token reached a record high of almost $74,000 in March, helped by demand for spot-Bitcoin exchange-traded funds, before falling back.

--With assistance from Muyao Shen.

(Updates with comment from event organizer in the third paragraph.)

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