Former President Donald Trump’s recent comments at the Republican National Convention have caused a stir within the Bitcoin community, potentially jeopardizing his growing support among cryptocurrency enthusiasts.
During his closing speech, Trump made controversial remarks about El Salvador, suggesting that the country’s significant reduction in murder rates was due to criminals being sent to the United States. This accusation has caught many off guard, especially considering El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele’s reputation as a Bitcoin advocate.
Bukele, who made Bitcoin legal tender in El Salvador in 2021, has been seen as a potential ally by many in the cryptocurrency world. Trump’s comments seem to contradict this perception, leading to confusion and criticism from prominent Bitcoin supporters.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that Donald Trump Jr. attended Bukele’s inauguration earlier this month, praising the Salvadoran leader’s efforts against crime and corruption. Moreover, Trump himself expressed admiration for Bukele during the same speech — it could’ve been a slip but it’s still a puzzling contradiction.
Many Trump supporters speculate that Trump — as always — didn’t mean it, and may have instead confused El Salvador with another Central American country, or even possibly Venezuela. While that in itself is problematic, some also point to the lack of proof of Trump’s claims. It’s just been swept into the GOP’s larger full-throttle push of the “migrant crimes” narrative.
El Salvador has indeed seen a dramatic decrease in its homicide rate, with a 70% reduction in 2023 following a 55.6% drop in 2022. This decline coincided with a massive crackdown on gang activity, resulting in the incarceration of over 75,000 suspected gang members.
Trump is scheduled to take his campaign to the 2024 Bitcoin Conference in Nashville. This event holds particular significance as it was where Bukele announced Bitcoin as legal tender in El Salvador in 2021.
Max Keiser, a prominent Bitcoin advocate and a member of El Salvador’s Bitcoin Office, earlier expressed his displeasure with Trump’s comments, and on Sunday said that he would “settle the score” with the former president, and “set him straight” when they share the stage at the conference.
Keiser has also said that Trump is “throwing a hissy fit” because he’s threatened by Bukele.
It likely won’t be as dramatic as Keiser is making it look, though. Trump, like independent candidate Robert Kennedy Jr, very obviously sees the value of appealing to Bitcoin bulls during his campaign. He’s even rumored to announce plans for a US strategic Bitcoin reserve if elected president at the event.
And very shortly before Trump’s RNC speech, Keiser was also very much into hyping up the former president.
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