Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to deliver an in-person speech at an upcoming Bitcoin conference in Nashville, just hours after surviving an assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania. The highly anticipated Bitcoin Conference is set to begin in less than two weeks.
BTC Inc. CEO David Bailey confirmed that event organizers are preparing for enhanced security measures to ensure the safety of the 20,000 expected attendees. “We are proud to host [Trump] and to share the solidarity of the global Bitcoin community,” the conference’s official Twitter account stated on Sunday. Organizers also emphasized their active engagement with security teams and cooperation with relevant parties to guarantee a secure event.
Trump’s confirmation of attendance comes after a failed assassination attempt at a political rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday. Following the shooting, Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential race, was swiftly escorted by the Secret Service in an armored vehicle. The FBI identified the gunman as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks.
The assassination attempt had raised questions about Trump’s upcoming campaign stops, including the Bitcoin conference. Last year, the conference in Miami attracted around 12,000 attendees, and this year’s event in Nashville is expected to draw even larger crowds. “I have just spoken with the President’s team,” Bailey tweeted on Sunday. “He is in good spirits and is excited to see you all in Nashville and deliver a speech that is heard around the world.”
The Bitcoin conference will also feature several prominent crypto-friendly politicians, including independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), and Tennessee’s Republican Senators Marsha Blackburn and Bill Hagerty. Vivek Ramaswamy, a former presidential hopeful, is also slated to speak.
Trump has been appealing to crypto holders on the campaign trail, accepting crypto donations and expressing support for Bitcoin miners. Last month, he signaled his approval of crypto during a Mar-a-Lago event for holders of his Polygon-based NFT collection. Following Trump’s lead, Senator Blackburn announced last week that her reelection campaign would accept crypto donations.
With heightened security and a lineup of influential speakers, the upcoming Bitcoin conference in Nashville is poised to be a significant event for the crypto community.