Trump once again vows to make the US a 'bitcoin superpower' in short address at crypto conference

President Donald Trump vowed to make the U.S. the "undisputed Bitcoin superpower" along with being the "crypto capital of the world," in his address to a room full of digital asset stakeholders on Thursday.

Several hundred people packed a hall on the fourth floor of the Jacob Javitz Center in Manhattan to hear President Trump's short five-minute address to the Blockworks Digital Asset Conference. Blockworks founder Jason Yanowitz noted that Trump's appearance marked the first time a sitting president has spoken to a crypto conference.

Trump, due to show at 10:40 a.m. ET, appeared on screen at the conference at 11 a.m. ET. to repeat actions he has made in a move to bolster crypto, while bashing former President Joe Biden.

"We're ending the last administration's regulatory war on crypto and bitcoin, and that includes stopping the lawless 'Operation Choke Point 2.0.,'" Trump said.

Trump has been embraced by many in the crypto industry for his friendlier approach to digital assets than the previous Biden administration. Since taking office, Trump has issued crypto-related executive orders and tapped crypto-friendly leaders to head key agencies.

Trump previously called for an end to "Operation Choke Point 2.0" during a White House crypto summit earlier this month. That phrase was coined by Castle Island Ventures co-founder Nic Carter in 2023, drawing a comparison to Operation Choke Point 1.0, a 2013 U.S. Department of Justice Initiative that sought to limit banking services for industries considered high-risk for fraud and money laundering, including payday lenders and firearm dealers.

Trump has not yet signed an executive order addressing debanking. However, he has signed a handful of crypto-related executive orders since taking office in January, including one to create a bitcoin reserve and another that created a working group made up of federal agency leads to focus on digital asset reports, among other tasks.

Trump signed that executive order to create a strategic bitcoin reserve and a digital asset stockpile earlier this month. The words "reserve" and "stockpile" have been used interchangeably, but sources have noted there are key differences between the two as to whether the U.S. government will proactively acquire cryptocurrencies.

That executive order will "allow the federal government to maximize the value of its holdings instead of foolishly selling them for a fraction of their long-term value, which is exactly what Biden did," Trump said.