NASHVILLE:
Independent US presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Friday questioned Republican candidate Donald Trump’s recent pro-cryptocurrency stance as the two battle for votes in November’s election from cryptocurrency holders at the Bitcoin 2024 conference.
Trump is scheduled to speak Saturday at the convention in Nashville, Tennessee, which is expected to draw about 20,000 attendees.
Why is it important?
Kennedy was favored by 8 percent of voters in a recent Reuters poll, which could be significant if he draws voters from Trump or Kamala Harris, who is poised to become the Democratic nominee. Kennedy has yet to qualify for the ballot in many states.
Kennedy’s comments come after Trump recently suggested to Kennedy that he might support the former president’s campaign.
Basic quotes
“President Trump has orange hair… But I have an orange heart,” Kennedy said in the conference speech, referring to the color of bitcoin’s logo. “I hope President Trump’s commitment to bitcoin is more than political expediency.”
Kennedy promised that if elected president he would direct the US Treasury Department to buy enough bitcoin to create a reserve comparable to US gold reserves. It would also make direct ownership of bitcoin tax-free.
Context
Trump has recently criticized efforts by Democrats to regulate the sector and said he would like to see widespread bitcoin mining by American companies, even though he called bitcoin a “fraud” in 2021.
The Republican Party is increasingly courting the votes of cryptocurrency holders by promising lighter regulation.
What’s next?
Participants at the conference on Friday said they were looking forward to seeing Trump speak on Saturday.
Red “Make Bitcoin Great Again” hats, a play on Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan, were for sale at the convention.
The answer
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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