United States Vice President JD Vance delivered a rallying cry to the cryptocurrency industry at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas, positioning digital assets as a critical tool in America’s strategic competition with China while urging continued political engagement from crypto leaders.
Speaking to a packed crowd at the Venetian Hotel on Wednesday, Vance framed Bitcoin adoption as both an economic opportunity and a national security imperative for the United States.
“The People’s Republic of China doesn’t like bitcoin. Well, we should be asking ourselves, why is that?” Vance declared to the enthusiastic audience. “If the communist Republic of China is leaning away from bitcoin, then maybe the United States ought to be leaning into bitcoin.”
US Embrace Of Crypto
His remarks highlighted the administration’s view that America’s embrace of cryptocurrency represents a strategic advantage over its primary geopolitical rival.
The Vice President also praised the rapid political mobilization of the crypto industry during the 2024 elections, specifically crediting billionaire Gemini founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss for their leadership in organizing political action.
“You chose to speak up, and you chose to get involved, and I believe you changed the direct trajectory of our country because of it,” Vance told the crowd, acknowledging the industry’s significant financial contributions that helped elect pro-crypto candidates across the country.
Vance emphasized the administration’s commitment to creating regulatory clarity, warning that failure to act could drive the $3 trillion cryptocurrency industry offshore. “We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to unleash innovation and use it to improve the lives of countless American citizens,” he stated. “But if we fail to create regulatory clarity now, we risk chasing this industry offshore in search of a friendly jurisdiction.”
Administration Crypto Promises
The Vice President’s appearance comes as the Trump administration has aggressively implemented its pro-crypto agenda, establishing a federal Bitcoin reserve, pardoning Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, and placing vocal cryptocurrency advocates in key government positions. The administration has also halted or reversed several enforcement actions against major crypto companies that were initiated under the previous Biden administration.
Vance specifically highlighted the strategic importance of stablecoin legislation currently advancing through Congress, expressing the administration’s eagerness to see the framework signed into law quickly. The proposed legislation would create federal oversight for stablecoins, cryptocurrencies typically pegged to the US dollar that have become increasingly important in global digital finance.
However, the administration’s crypto enthusiasm has generated controversy, particularly regarding potential conflicts of interest stemming from the Trump family’s cryptocurrency ventures.
Despite these controversies, Vance hailed cryptocurrency as a hedge against what he termed “bad politicians, overly aggressive regulators and unethical elites,” appealing to the conference’s libertarian-leaning audience.
He predicted continued mainstream adoption of digital currencies and emphasized America’s need to maintain global leadership in the sector, particularly given China’s hostile stance toward cryptocurrencies, which have been banned for trading and mining since 2021.
