The Bitcoin 2024 Conference in Nashville will host keynotes by Michael Saylor, Edward Snowden, and others.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is set to speak at the upcoming Bitcoin 2024 Conference in Nashville later this month, organizers announced on Wednesday. The event headlined “Witness History,” marks a strategic effort by Trump to engage with the Bitcoin community as he campaigns for the presidency.
The Bitcoin Conference, set for July 25–27 at Nashville’s Music City Center, will also feature keynotes from Michael Saylor on Friday and Edward Snowden on Saturday, with Kennedy appearing in a Friday fireside chat. The exact timing of Trump’s address remains to be announced.
Trump, the leading candidate for the Republican nomination, joins a roster that already includes independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy. This appearance at the world’s largest Bitcoin conference signals a clear attempt to harness the enthusiasm of cryptocurrency advocates and convert it into electoral support for November’s election.
Trump’s campaign began accepting donations in various cryptocurrencies—Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, and Solana—fulfilling a promise to Trump NFT holders during a Mar-a-Lago event in May.
The topic of Bitcoin has become increasingly partisan in the U.S. political landscape. The Republican Party’s draft policy platform, released Monday, pledges to defend Bitcoin against what it calls the Biden administration’s “un-American crypto crackdown.” The platform vows to protect Bitcoin mining and ensure Americans can self-custody their digital assets free from government interference.
Alongside Trump and Kennedy, the conference will feature prominent figures such as former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, Wyoming Sen. Cynthia Lummis, Tennessee Sens. Bill Hagerty and Marsha Blackburn, and former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. Trump campaign senior advisor Brian Hughes emphasized, “President Trump is ready to encourage American leadership in emerging technologies.”
Trump’s previous criticisms of Bitcoin as “highly volatile and based on thin air” seem to have shifted, energizing the crypto community. This change of stance was highlighted by a recent $2 million Bitcoin donation to the Trump campaign by Gemini co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss.