Donald Trump uses Bitcoin to buy burgers at NYC bar

Republican Party presidential nominee Donald Trump appeared in a New York City bar and restaurant famous for accepting Bitcoin, becoming the first former United States president to use the cryptocurrency in a transaction. 

According to a Sept. 18 X post by Pubkey, Trump used Bitcoin ( BTC ) to purchase hamburgers at the NYC bar. BTC advocate and Professional Capital Management CEO Anthony Pompliano was in attendance at the campaign stop, which was also reported on Trump’s Truth Social account. 

The event came less than two days after the Republican nominee announced the launch of a token through the World Liberty Financial crypto platform, which is run by members of his family. Despite once calling Bitcoin a “scam” and crypto “based on thin air,” Trump has advocated for BTC miners as part of his 2024 campaign and spoke at the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

Source: Pubkey

Pubkey’s marketing staff would not confirm over Telegram whether the BTC transaction was completed on the Lightning Network. A video showed Trump purchasing at least a dozen hamburgers, which he handed out to attendees, calling them “crypto burgers.”

Related: Some pro-crypto Trumpers suggest he ‘lost their votes’ after token launch

Trump reportedly holds at least $1 million in crypto. Former US President Bill Clinton also held Bitcoin , which was given to him at a 2016 event.

Just 48 days until US election

The Republican candidate also claimed he “had a real chance at winning” New York’s electoral votes in November despite Democratic candidates winning every election since 1988. An August ActiVote poll showed Vice President Kamala Harris with a 16-point lead over Trump in the state.

Unlike Trump, Harris has not made crypto part of her campaign. Crypto industry executives and commentators have speculated that she is unlikely to significantly distance herself from the Biden administration’s policies on crypto and blockchain.

However, in August, one of Harris’ senior advisers said that the US vice president would “support policies” for the industry’s growth.

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