Trump hails crypto at largest bitcoin conference

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump promised to make America the world leader in bitcoin and other digital currencies if elected, likening the crypto-verse to “the steel industry of 100 years ago.”

Speaking at the annual Bitcoin Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, to a standing-room-only crowd, Trump promised to ensure America becomes “the crypto capital of the planet and bitcoin superpower of the world.”

Trump painted himself as a crypto advocate in contrast to the Biden administration and other Democrats, who he said had proven unfriendly to their cause.

Trump said — to rapturous applause from the Nashville crowd — that if elected, he would fire current Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler, whom the crypto world has come to view as its chief opponent in government due to his agency’srulings on digital tokens and lawsuits against bitcoin exchanges.

“I will appoint an SEC chair who will build the future, not block the future,” Trump said.

His embrace of crypto comes amid high-profile endorsements from bitcoin advocates including Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, the twin brothers best known for suing Mark Zuckerberg over the creation of Facebook and who founded the Gemini cryptocurrency exchange.

Trump’s remarks stand to further cement his growing alliance with other right-leaning figures in the tech world, though the novelty of his appearance at the conference was not lost on him. As he praised the audience as “geniuses,” he acknowledged he was still learning about crypto.

“Most people have no idea what the hell it is,” he quipped. “So what happens when everyone figures it out? That’ll be something.”

Trump offered up a proposal to create a national bitcoin