Tech
Trump’s Bitcoin-owning VP pick JD Vance creates first pro-crypto presidential candidacy
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by Donald Trump running mate JD Vance is the first bitcoin holder to run for vice president, forming a pro-cryptocurrency group with the former US president that has boosted the market and reassured the entire industry.
Bitcoin the price has increased by almost 10 percent following the attempted assassination of trump over the weekend, with major bookies further lowering the odds of the Republican candidate retaking the White House.
THE cryptocurrency continued to rise in price after Trump chose Vance as his running mate, who maintained a pro-crypto stance during his time as a senator and has a personal stake in its success.
In 2022, Mr. Vance disclosed holding between $100,000 and $250,000 in Bitcoinwhich at today’s prices would be worth between $136,000 and $390,000.
His most recent financial disclosure report to the Senate does not list the purchase or sale of any cryptocurrencies, suggesting he still holds the bitcoin disclosed in 2022. Cryptocurrency advocates were quick to hail the first “bitcoiner” on a presidential ticket after his nomination on Monday.
In 2023, Vance introduced a bill that would protect cryptocurrency firms and exchanges from being cut off by traditional banks, while a draft of another industry-friendly bill is also circulating, according to Politico.
In 2021, the former venture capitalist issued a statement opposing an amendment to the infrastructure bill that he said would “represent an indirect ban on bitcoin and other popular cryptocurrencies.”
He added: “Our tech sector used to be defined by innovative upstarts and is now dominated by boring monopolists… The cryptocurrency community stands in stark contrast to this shift. It is one of the few sectors of our economy where conservatives and other free thinkers can operate without the pressure of the social justice crowd.”
Trump has presented himself as the “crypto president” in this campaign, having previously dismissed bitcoin as a “scam on the dollar.”
The former president is scheduled to speak at the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville this month, with organizers saying he will “deliver a speech that will be heard around the world.”