NASHVILLE — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. received a warm welcome as he rallied voters at the Bitcoin Conference, the cryptocurrency industry's premier event, on Friday, the day before former President Donald Trump delivered a keynote speech.
“I will end the Biden Administration's war on Bitcoin,” the former Democratic candidate declared, to further cheers from the crowd as he touted his policies. He wants the U.S. to build a Bitcoin reserve and make U.S. dollar-to-Bitcoin transactions non-reportable and exempt from taxation by the IRS.
Kennedy also criticized Trump, noting that while he likes the Republican presidential candidate's current stance on Bitcoin, Trump hasn't always been supportive, saying, “We're only a few weeks into the Bitcoin debate.” Kennedy noted that he has a significant portion of his personal wealth invested in cryptocurrencies.
President Trump spoke at the conference on Sunday afternoon and has been speaking on the subject for more than a few weeks now, having met with crypto miners in June and calling cryptocurrencies a “scam” in 2021 before declaring himself the “crypto candidate” in May.
“Americans today are faced with a heartbreaking decision because their money is broken,” said RFK Jr. “For America's struggling middle class, Bitcoin is an exit ramp on the doomed inflation highway.”
Hours before the speech, rumors had circulated online that Kennedy was dropping out of the race to endorse Trump, after the two men spoke after the assassination attempt this month.
“Fake news,” Kennedy replied to one of the articles.
Most of the voters at the conference supported either Trump or Kennedy, and few mentioned Democratic front-runner Kamala Harris.
Harris will not be speaking at the major industry event, but businessman Mark Cuban said her campaign has reached out to him to learn more about the matter.
“I'm voting for him because this guy represents what I want, and if my grandchildren have to look at my record one day, so be it, they'll know I voted for someone who represents what I want, what I hope we can have,” Kim Papst, a Kennedy supporter in battleground state Michigan, told The Washington Post after Kennedy's speech.
David Garrett, a retired chemical engineer and Michigan voter, said he thinks what Kennedy proposed Saturday is a good idea.
“I'm a Trump supporter, but I think I could have delivered that speech myself. It's unbelievable. His policies set the ground rules for all other politicians, including Trump. They'd do well to listen very carefully,” Garrett said.
He's not the only Kennedy fan who may be checking his ballot for the Republican candidate.
“I like Kennedy, but I'm more of a Trump supporter. Texas is a Republican state and I like Kennedy and a lot of the things he does,” Dylan Branscome, a 17-year-old from Texas who turns 18 in November, said Thursday, wearing a Kennedy hat, the day before the independent candidate spoke.
“Inflation is making the dollar cheaper. With Trump in office, inflation will slow down, but it won't stop. But Bitcoin inflation isn't really happening,” he added.
Republican Senators Cynthia Lummis (Wyoming) and Tim Scott (South Carolina) also discussed the future of Bitcoin during their convention speeches on Friday.
“If the government controls money, it controls us,” Rammis declared to thunderous applause.
Cryptocurrencies mean “we have the opportunity to democratize our financial activities,” Scott said.
