Besides Trump, which politicians will also attend this year's Bitcoin conference?

Authors: Shelly, Nianqing, ChainCatcher

Bitcoin Magazine CEO David Bailey confirmed today that Vice President Harris will not be speaking at the Bitcoin 2024 conference. Despite Harris's absence, this year's Bitcoin conference is not lacking in the presence of American politicians. The conference has invited ten political guests from the U.S., including Trump, with eight being Republicans, one Democrat, and one independent (a former Democrat).

This is certainly not surprising. On one hand, Nashville, the location of the conference, is in Tennessee, a traditional "red state" and a stronghold of the Republican Party, with both of Tennessee's senators attending. On the other hand, compared to the Democrats' conservatism, most Republicans hold an optimistic view on cryptocurrencies. A recent Paradigm poll shows that 28% of Republicans own or have purchased cryptocurrencies, exceeding the national average, and 60% of Republicans favor clear cryptocurrency regulations from Congress. A more intuitive statistic is that in May of this year, Republicans led and pushed through the FIT21 bill, which is visually reflected in the voting results and attitudes toward digital asset regulation of both parties. Recently, the Republican National Committee also approved a new platform proposed by Trump, which includes support for innovative cryptocurrency policies.

Voting results of the FIT21 bill by both parties, image source: Bitwise

Let's turn back to the politicians participating in the Bitcoin conference and their push for cryptocurrency------

• Donald Trump: 2024 U.S. presidential election candidate, former 45th President of the United States, Republican, self-styled as the "Crypto President." His involvement in the cryptocurrency field can be read in our previous article, "Selling Trump: The Former President's Crypto Political and Business Circle."
• Vivek Ganapathy: A Republican candidate for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, who announced during his campaign that he would accept Bitcoin as campaign donations. He announced his withdrawal from the presidential primary on January 15, 2024.
• Bill Hagerty: Senator from Tennessee, Republican. He has criticized the Democrats for their overly centralized and restrictive approach to the cryptocurrency industry.
• Marsha Blackburn: Senator from Tennessee, Republican. She announced during her re-election campaign that she would accept cryptocurrency donations and praised Bitcoin for its freedom and privacy.
• Cynthia Lummis: Senator and Representative from Wyoming, Republican, Bitcoin advocate, has been promoting Bitcoin-related legislation, and has stated that Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies will become an important part of the future economy. She also plans to announce Bitcoin strategic reserve legislation at the Bitcoin conference.
• Tim Scott: Senator from South Carolina, Republican, member of the U.S. Senate Financial Innovation Core Group. He has repeatedly called for a balanced approach to digital assets and has pushed for the establishment of a cryptocurrency regulatory framework.
• Bernardo Moreno: Republican Senate candidate, a blockchain entrepreneur and cryptocurrency enthusiast.
• Sam Brown: Republican Senate candidate, an early adopter of cryptocurrency, who invested in Bitcoin in 2017.
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: Independent candidate for President of the United States, previously a Democrat until 2023, now belongs to another independent party. He has purchased 14 Bitcoins and has made several statements supporting blockchain, Bitcoin, and cryptocurrencies, such as wanting to put the entire U.S. budget on the blockchain and releasing the Silk Road platform founder if elected president.
• Ro Khanna: The only Democrat attending this conference, he has served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 2017. This congressman is a progressive Democrat, representing a district in Silicon Valley that is friendly to cryptocurrencies. This month's highly publicized cryptocurrency policy roundtable was hosted by Ro Khanna, who has been in contact with senior figures in the digital asset industry, Democratic lawmakers, and White House officials to participate in the roundtable.

P.S. Although cryptocurrency voters have become a "battleground" for both parties, benefiting the overall development of the industry, in the long run, both parties need to cooperate in promoting the development and regulation of the cryptocurrency industry, which is healthier for the entire ecosystem.