US Poll 2024: ‘Who Wants a Burger?’ Donald Trump Treats Fans to Burgers, Pays with Bitcoin at NYC Bar | Watch

Donald Trump once again addressed the digital asset community on Wednesday, treating his supporters to burgers at a New York bar and paying for them with bitcoin.

After being greeted with boos and chants of “loser” upon arrival at PubKey, a Bitcoin-themed eatery near New York University in Greenwich Village, the former president was greeted with thunderous applause from Bitcoin enthusiasts and Trump supporters alike as he entered the dimly lit bar.

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“Who wants a burger?” asked the Republican presidential candidate, who is seeking votes and campaign donations from cryptocurrency enthusiasts as well as support for a new project he is promoting with his sons called World Liberty Financial.

Trump spent $998.70 on dozens of burgers, according to Drew Armstrong, co-founder of PubKey. The Republican candidate paid for the food using a payment app called Strike, which is based on the Lightning Network. The bar used the Zaprite app to receive bitcoin, the oldest and largest cryptocurrency that has yet to fulfill its promise as a common medium of exchange. The Diet Cokes were on the house.

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“Bitcoin is real,” Trump said.

The stop on the way to the Long Island rally marks Trump’s latest attempt to build support among holders of the cryptocurrency, which has gained greater mainstream acceptance this year despite a long history of fraud and scandals. In July, Trump delivered the opening keynote at the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, promising to appoint crypto-friendly regulators and create a national strategic bitcoin stockpile if he returns to the White House. On Monday evening, he headlined a livestream on the social media app X to unveil World Liberty Financial, which is billed as a decentralized cryptocurrency project aimed at competing with traditional banks.

Thomas Pacchia, another co-founder of PubKey, said Trump’s presence was “huge,” “iconic,” and influential for Bitcoin.

“The former president, the potential future president, is a real coming of age for the Bitcoin community,” said Pacchia, whose bar hosts frequent events to educate the public about the original cryptocurrency and has a Bitcoin “temple.” Pacchia added that he believes the transaction was the first time a former president has used Bitcoin to purchase goods or services.

Matt Kita, 40, from outside Philadelphia, has been frequenting the bar since it opened. Kita said Trump’s arrival legitimizes the industry and could help him attract voters.

“I think there will be people here who will be convinced by one, pro-Bitcoin position, but the secondary effect will be a more innovative approach to regulation, allowing entrepreneurs to continue to innovate,” he said.

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Not everyone in the area was happy to see Trump. The former president was greeted outside the bar by dozens of protesters holding signs with slogans like “LIAR” and “CONVICTED OF FRAUD” while loudspeakers blared songs by Taylor Swift, Trump’s new nemesis. Jay Walker, a member of a group called Rise and Resist, said his friend learned Trump would be at the bar, so his group passed the word on to its activists.

“Whenever Trump comes to town, we try to be the welcoming committee,” he said.