Trump Makes First Presidential Bitcoin Purchase at Manhattan Bar
In brief
- Trump purchased burgers and beers using Bitcoin at PubKey bar in Manhattan on September 18, 2024.
- He scanned a QR code to complete the transaction, recorded on blockchain at block height 861871.
- The purchase marks the first documented Bitcoin transaction by any sitting or former US president.
The transaction
Trump scanned a QR code to complete the payment at the Manhattan establishment. The transaction was recorded on the blockchain at block height 861871, making it permanently verifiable on the Bitcoin ledger. No other digital assets or protocols were involved in the transaction — it was Bitcoin only.
Trump described the Bitcoin payment process as straightforward. The moment underscores how far cryptocurrency adoption has come since the early days of blockchain commerce.
Historical context
The Bitcoin transaction echoes an earlier milestone in cryptocurrency history. Programmer Laszlo Hanyecz paid 10,000 BTC for two pizzas in 2010 on what became known as Bitcoin Pizza Day. That transaction, now worth billions in retrospect, marked one of the first real-world uses of Bitcoin as a medium of exchange.
Trump's purchase signals something different: mainstream acceptance among political figures. A sitting former president using Bitcoin at a public venue, documented on chain, legitimizes cryptocurrency in ways that regulatory approval alone cannot. The transaction occurred at PubKey, a bar in New York City dedicated to Bitcoin culture, making it both a commercial transaction and a cultural moment.
