Bitcoin
Bitcoin Conference Brings Trump and Others to Nashville | Pith in the Wind | Nashville News
Crypto enthusiasts will take over Music City Center on Thursday for Bitcoin2024, a three-day conference with international status dedicated to the fundamental blockchain currency. The event promises a keynote address from former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has made a major shift toward cryptocurrencies in recent weeks. The debut event also certifies the years-long effort by locals to build nashville in one of the main Bitcoin hubs in the United States.
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also has a speaking slot, as do Tennessee U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, failed Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, comedian Russell Brand, and several prominent executives and influencers in the Bitcoin community. The conference schedule takes place primarily downtown from Thursday, July 25, through Saturday, July 27. Single-seat pricing conference pass range from US$700 to US$21,000.
The city has emerged as a top bitcoin destination, attracting media, investors, organizers and evangelists
The value of a single Bitcoin has surged to record highs over the past six months and is currently just below $70,000, granting new purchasing power to its investors. The Trump-led GOP has begun aggressively courting votes and donations from the crypto community in recent months. While the US dollar remains the world’s primary reserve currency—giving the United States tremendous influence and power—has lost ground In recent years, apparently comfortable with the geopolitical consequences, Republicans have begun to fully leverage the party’s reputation for small government and free markets to attract Bitcoiners. The community describes its lucrative siege of the financial order with values like “personal sovereignty” and “freedom,” all part of an ongoing power struggle in which Bitcoin becomes more valuable at the expense of government-backed currencies.
The addition of J.D. Vance—a freshman senator from Ohio and Trump’s pick for vice president who has top-tier Silicon Valley connections—infused Trump’s ticket with techno-futurist bona fides. Billionaire Elon Musk immediately pledged $45 million to a Trump-aligned PAC; endorsements (and money) from Silicon Valley elites poured in. Fellow billionaire Mark Cuban called it a direct play to boost Bitcoin’s value. Many expect concrete encryption commitments from Trump in Saturday’s keynote address, including policy guidelines such as an official Bitcoin reserve in the US.
Senator Blackburn speaks with Ramaswamy on Saturday afternoon about “Mobilizing Bitcoin Voters.” Blackburn’s son Chad appears on a panel Thursday; in his conference bio, Chad Blackburn says he stores “all” of his personal liquidity in Bitcoin, has investments in Bitcoin companies, and describes himself as “orange-pilled,” a jargon denoting a Bitcoin devotee. Senator Hagerty appears Friday morning in a conversation titled “Freedom Tech: Bitcoin’s Policy Outlook in 2024 and Beyond” with local investor Rod Roudi. Roudi helped start Bitcoin Parka members-only space in Hillsboro Village dedicated to cryptocurrency.
Electricity flowed through Bitcoin Park on Monday as conference week kicked off. The venue features two side-by-side bungalows housing a social club, private cafe, event space, art gallery, podcast studio and courtyard. Bitcoin-related art hangs on the walls.
“Central Bank Digital Currencies Enslave,” reads one framed poster. “Choose Freedom. Choose Bitcoin.”