Crypto enthusiasts will take over Music City Center on Thursday for Bitcoin2024, a three-day conference with international stature dedicated to the foundational blockchain currency. The event promises a keynote address by former president and current presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has sharply pivoted toward crypto in recent weeks. Landing the premiere event also certifies locals’ yearslong effort to build Nashville into a top American Bitcoin hub.
Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also has a speaking slot, as do Tennessee’s U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty, failed GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, comedian Russell Brand and several executives and influencers prominent in the Bitcoin community. Conference programming mostly takes place downtown from Thursday, July 25, to Saturday, July 27. Prices for a single conference pass range from $700 to $21,000.
The value of a single Bitcoin has climbed to record highs over the past six months and currently sits just below $70,000, bestowing fresh spending power to its investors. The GOP, led by Trump, began aggressively courting votes and donations from the crypto community over the past few months. While the U.S. dollar remains the world’s leading reserve currency — conferring tremendous influence and power onto the United States — it has lost ground in recent years. Apparently comfortable with the geopolitical consequences, Republicans have begun fully leveraging the party’s reputation for small government and free-marketeering to attract Bitcoiners. The community describes its lucrative siege on the financial order with values like “personal sovereignty” and “freedom,” all part of an ongoing power struggle in which Bitcoin grows more valuable at the expense of government-backed currencies.
The addition of J.D. Vance — a freshman Ohio senator and Trump’s VP pick, who has blue chip connections in Silicon Valley — infused the Trump 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 drive up Bitcoin value. Many expect concrete crypto commitments from Trump at Saturday’s keynote address, including policy planks like an official U.S. Bitcoin reserve.
Sen. Blackburn speaks with Ramaswamy on Saturday afternoon about “Mobilizing Bitcoin Voters.” Blackburn’s son Chad appears on a panel on Thursday; in his conference bio, Chad Blackburn says that he stores “all” of his personal liquidity in Bitcoin, owns investments in Bitcoin companies and describes himself as “orange-pilled,” jargon denoting a Bitcoin devotee. Sen. 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 Park, a members-only space in Hillsboro Village dedicated to the cryptocurrency.
Electric energy flowed through Bitcoin Park on Monday as conference week got underway. The site features two side-by-side bungalows housing a social club, private cafe, event space, art gallery, podcasting studio and patio. Bitcoin-related art hangs on the walls.
“Central Bank Digital Currencies Enslave,” reads one framed poster. “Choose Freedom. Choose Bitcoin.”
