Donald Trump makes his first bitcoin purchase on a burger at PubKey Bar in New York City

Quick Take

  • Donald Trump stopped by PubKey Bar in New York City before Wednesday night’s campaign rally at the Nassau Coliseum.
  • PubKey Bar is a Bitcoin-themed bar known for hosting meetups and other events for crypto enthusiasts.

Republican presidential candidate — and newly-minted DeFi impresario — Donald Trump has made what's claimed to be his first purchase using bitcoin on, what else, a cheeseburger.

Trump made a stop at PubKey Bar in New York City before Wednesday night's campaign rally at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York. "History in the making," Trump said following the purchase.

"One of the most historic transactions in #bitcoin history was just made," the bar's X account said in a post. "President @realDonaldTrump buying burgers at @PubKey_NYC with @tpacchia. Block height: 861871"

Trump then handed out burgers to patrons in the bar.

"This a crypto burger," Trump said to the cheering crowd. He has never been shy about his indulgent diet and has even reportedly served McDondald's Big Macs on silver trays in his private jet.

PubKey Bar is a bitcoin-themed bar in New York City's Greenwich Village, known for hosting meetups and other events for crypto enthusiasts. The location has been home to various dives popular with New York University students and, most recently, was home to a pub called Formerly Crow’s.

“There’s a very dedicated and passionate group that doesn’t have that many places to go in New York City,” co-owner Thomas Pacchia, a former director of blockchain incubation at Fidelity Investments, told Eater NY in 2022. “If you’re new to it and you’re curious ... Twitter and Reddit are just terrible places to learn because you’re thrown into a shitshow conversation.”

Trump's stance on cryptocurrency changed this year, beginning in May when his campaign started accepting crypto as a form of donation. He has since said he wants to make the United States "the crypto capital" of the world.

Earlier this week, he helped officially introduce World Liberty Financial, a DeFi project his sons have been working on. The project will sell a non-transferable governance token called WLFI to accredited investors.


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About Author

Jason is a U.S. news editor at The Block. He previously worked as a staff writer and later served as managing editor at Benzinga, a financial news and data company. He led Benzinga's daily markets coverage as well as the expansion of the outlet's cannabis, cryptocurrency and sports betting verticals. He earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Central Michigan University and resides in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. Follow him on X @JasonShubnell.

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