Donald Trump made a notable appearance at PubKey, a Bitcoin-themed bar in New York’s Greenwich Village, on Wednesday, where he engaged with supporters by offering burgers and paying with Bitcoin.
The visit is part of his strategy to connect with the digital-asset community while campaigning for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Trump was greeted with a mixed reception of boos and cheers from Bitcoin enthusiasts and political supporters. Inside the bar, he spent $998.70 on burgers, using the Strike app on the Lightning Network for the transaction. Diet Cokes were offered for free.
“Bitcoin is really happening,” Trump remarked while interacting with patrons.
This visit follows Trump’s recent efforts to appeal to cryptocurrency supporters. In July, he delivered the keynote address at the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, where he promised to appoint crypto-friendly regulators and create a national Bitcoin stockpile if re-elected. Earlier this week, he also promoted World Liberty Financial, a decentralized finance crypto project supported by him and his sons.
PubKey co-founder Thomas Pacchia praised Trump’s visit as a milestone for the Bitcoin community, suggesting it is the first time a former president has used Bitcoin for a public transaction.
While some attendees welcomed Trump’s embrace of cryptocurrency, his visit also sparked protests outside the bar. Demonstrators accused him of fraud and played music by pop star Taylor Swift, who has been a vocal critic of the former president.
Despite the mixed reactions, Trump’s outreach to the cryptocurrency sector underscores his intent to engage with the growing and increasingly mainstream financial community.
