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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?” asked the Republican candidate for president, who 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 $998.70 on a few dozen burgers, according to 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 pitstop 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 this year 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 Monday evening, he headlined a live-stream on the X social-media app to unveil World Liberty Financial, which is being billed as a decentralized-finance crypto project meant to compete with traditional banks.
“A former president, a potential future president, this is a real coming of age for the Bitcoin community,” said Pacchia, whose bar holds frequent events to educate the public about the original cryptocurrency and features a “shrine” to Bitcoin. Pacchia added that he believes the transaction marked the first time a former president has used Bitcoin to purchase goods or services.
Matt Kita, 40, from outside of Philadelphia, has been attending the bar since it opened. Kita said Trump’s appearance legitimizes 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.
Not everyone in the neighborhood was happy to see Trump. The former president was greeted outside the bar by a few dozen protesters holding signs with messages like “LIAR” and “CONVICTED OF FRAUD” as speakers blasted songs by Taylor Swift, a newfound enemy of Trump’s. Jay Walker, a member of a group called Rise and Resist, said a friend found out that Trump was going to be at the bar so his group spread the word to its activists.
“Whenever Trump comes into the city, we try to come and ensure that we are the welcoming committee,” he said.
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