Former President Donald Trump recently pitched his plan to make the United States the “crypto capital of the planet and the Bitcoin superpower of the world,” pledging to establish the nation’s first strategic Bitcoin stockpile, if elected.
It has been noted that Trump is the first presidential candidate from a major political party to make Bitcoin and cryptocurrency a campaign issue, and the first American president to speak at a Bitcoin event. He addressed an enthusiastic standing-room-only crowd at the Bitcoin 2024 conference at the Music City Center in Nashville a couple of weeks after surviving an assassination attempt.
“If crypto is going to define the future, I want it to be mined, minted, and made in the USA,” Trump said. “If Bitcoin is going to the moon, as they say, ‘it’s going to the moon,’ I want America to be the nation that leads the way.”
However, the largest cheers of the speech came when Trump pledged to “fire” U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission chair Gary Gensler – an announcement that brought the audience to their feet. Gensler has been hostile to the crypto industry.
“I didn’t know he was that unpopular,” he said. “Let me say it again. On day one, I will fire Gary Gensler.”
The crowd again roared and broke out in chants of “Trump! Trump! Trump!”
“I will appoint a new SEC chairman who believes America should build the future, not block the future, which is what happened. And Kamala Harris wants to make him Treasury Secretary.”
JUST IN: Crowd goes absolutely nuts after Donald Trump vows to fire SEC Chairman Gary Gensler during the Bitcoin Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.
Trump was clearly taken aback at the crowd's reaction when he made the announcement.
"On day one, I will fire Gary Gensler and… pic.twitter.com/0CyOMaY6FY
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) July 27, 2024
