The Bitcoin community is actively discussing former US President Donald Trump’s comments at the Republican National Convention on Thursday. In his speech, Trump asserted that El Salvador, under the leadership of Bitcoin advocate President Nayib Bukele, is “dumping criminals” into the US.
This has sparked significant debate among Bitcoin enthusiasts and political observers.
Bitcoin Enthusiasts Debate Trump’s Claims About El Salvador
In a clip that has circulated online, Trump discussed El Salvador’s crime rate, criticizing President Bukele’s method of dealing with criminals by questioning the effectiveness of their training. He implied that the reported decrease in the country’s murder rate resulted from exporting these criminals to the US.
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TRUMP: “El Salvador crime rate is down 70% because they’re dumping all their criminals here.”
Trump doubles down on Nayib Bukele and El Salvador comments.
Bitcoiners are between a rock and a hard place.
pic.twitter.com/YDZ876yALq— Autism Capital
(@AutismCapital) July 20, 2024
Consequently, this statement triggered immediate responses from the Bitcoin community. Nic Carter, general partner at Castle Island Ventures, argued that Trump was mistaken.
Carter asserted that Bukele’s actions had indeed reduced the flow of MS-13 gang members into the US. MS-13, or Mara Salvatrucha, is a violent gang originating from Central America. They are notorious for their involvement in drug trafficking and violent crimes.
Similarly, The Bitcoin Therapist, a well-known analyst, warned that Trump should be prepared to substantiate his claims if he continues to criticize El Salvador and Bukele.
“As bullish as he is for Bitcoin and the economy, I won’t stand for disingenuous comments about a stand-up leader like Nayib Bukele. It could certainly cost my vote,” The Bitcoin Therapist said.
Mark Keiser, Bukele’s advisor on Bitcoin, also responded strongly. He indicated that he looked forward to addressing Trump directly at the upcoming Bitcoin Conference.
“Trump is wrong. […] I’m looking forward to July 27 at the Bitcoin Conference in Nashville. I’m sharing a stage with Trump and I’ll set him straight about El Salvador, the Bitcoin Country,” Keiser wrote.
Despite the strong responses from the Bitcoin community, Bukele has yet to respond directly to the statement. Instead, he is promoting his brand new Salvadoran coffee brand, which he calls a “passion project.” However, a few hours after Trump’s speech video went viral, Bukele retweeted 20 Dollar’s CFO Robert Sterling’s cheeky tweet that says he drank two cups of the coffee “and the MS-13 gangs on his street instantly ran away.”
Trump’s stance has introduced a new dynamic into the Bitcoin community’s political discourse. His support for the crypto industry has earned him significant backing, and the community highly anticipates his presence at the Bitcoin Conference 2024. The event, set for July 27 in Nashville, Tennessee, will also feature other political figures like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Vivek Ramaswamy.
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Jonathan Hargreaves, Global Head of Business Development at Elastos, highlighted the importance of such engagements. He noted that the presence of both Trump and Kennedy at the event remarks the growing recognition of Bitcoin’s potential to drive global economic growth.
“For Bitcoin to establish itself as a viable alternative to fiat currencies, it will be crucial for the US President (whoever is elected) to engage with international leaders to forge consensus on policy frameworks,” he explained to BeInCrypto.
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