Vice President J.D. Vance addressed a crowd of 35,000 at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas, saying the digital currency is here to stay and the Trump administration will continue to support the crypto industry.
Vance, who served as the keynote speaker at the event, emphasized that digital assets are not just financial tools but symbols of personal liberty.
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"Our administration, we prioritize eliminating the rules, the red tape, and the lawfare that we saw aimed at crypto by our predecessors," Vance said.
The vice president also endorsed the GENIUS Act, a proposed law to boost innovation and protect the role of the U.S. dollar in the global economy.
"We want our fellow Americans to know that crypto and digital assets, and particularly Bitcoin, are part of the mainstream economy and are here to stay," Vance said.
Bitcoin is currently surging, trading at around $107,000 on Wednesday, just shy of its all-time high of nearly $112,000. These gains have been fueled by growing investment and support from U.S. policymakers.
"But if we fail to create regulatory clarity now, we risk chasing this $3 trillion industry offshore in search of a friendlier jurisdiction, and President Trump is going to fight to make sure that does not happen," Vance said.
Crypto enthusiasts from across the country gathered at the Venetian Resort for the conference, which is one of the largest crypto gatherings in the world.
Jason Shephard, an investor who traveled from San Francisco, has seen significant returns on his investment.
"I have tripled my money in the past year," Shephard said.
Shephard noted that the industry has evolved since he first became interested.
"I first got interested back in 2017 when it first went up a little bit," Shephard said.
"I would say it is better than it was a couple years ago," Shephard said.
More Las Vegas businesses on and off the Strip have embraced cryptocurrency payments, with The D Hotel & Casino and the Golden Gate downtown being some of the first to do so.
Bo Ginn, vice president of business operations at Las Vegas-based Bitcoin mining technology company CleanSpark, sees a bright future for the industry.
"This thing has grown over the years, and we expect it to continue to grow," Ginn said.
Ginn expressed optimism about the outlook on crypto from Washington D.C.
"We definitely feel like we've got the ears of the folks in Washington, D.C., as well as in the states. We're here to do business the right way," Ginn said.
Vance also encouraged attendees to stay politically active, describing the event as "more than a conference and rather a movement." The Bitcoin 2025 conference is set to conclude Thursday.
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