The US Bitcoin community erupted on Thursday after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made an unannounced stop at the grand opening of Pubkey DC, a new Bitcoin-themed bar in Washington.
Key Takeaways:
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s surprise visit to Pubkey DC was widely seen as a symbolic boost for Bitcoin’s growing visibility.
Industry figures praised the appearance, citing Bessent’s pro-crypto stance.
Some traders cautioned that the moment may be overinterpreted in a weak market.
The unexpected appearance of one of the most influential figures in US economic policy quickly ricocheted across X, with many in the industry interpreting it as a symbolic moment for Bitcoin’s political and cultural ascent.
“Having the Secretary of the Treasury at the Pubkey DC launch seems like a moment I’ll look back on and say, ‘wow, it was all so obvious,’” wrote Ben Werkman, CIO of Bitcoin treasury firm Strive.
Lubka Calls Bessent’s Pubkey Visit ‘The Sign You’ve Been Waiting For’
Steven Lubka, vice president of investor relations at Nakamoto, went even further, calling Bessent’s presence “the sign you have been waiting for.”
Bessent has long been viewed as one of the most crypto-friendly officials in the current administration.
His Treasury nomination in late 2024 was hailed by many in the digital asset sector, and he has since voiced support for turning the US into a global hub for crypto innovation.
He has also backed several pro-crypto bills this year, including the GENIUS Act, and in August confirmed that the Treasury was exploring budget-neutral mechanisms for purchasing Bitcoin for a potential Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
That backdrop helped explain why Bitcoiners reacted so strongly to a casual appearance at a bar opening.
Figures including analyst Fred Krueger, Gemini executive Jeff Tiller, podcaster Natalie Brunell, and Bitcoin Policy Institute co-founder David Zell all framed the moment as an unmistakable signal of institutional acceptance.
Some traders, however, warned against reading too much into it.
“In this type of market, signals like this don’t matter much—until later, when everyone realizes they did,” trader MacroScope commented.
Pubkey DC opens on the back of strong attention garnered by its New York sister location, launched in late 2022, which became a cultural hotspot for Bitcoin enthusiasts.
The bar entered national headlines in September 2024 when then-presidential contender Donald Trump made a campaign stop there.
Bitcoin Traders Split as Price Drops to $85K Amid Volatile Sentiment
The timing of Bessent’s appearance added another layer of intrigue. Bitcoin has been struggling through a downturn since its all-time high of $125,100 on Oct. 5.
The asset is trading around $85,500, with sentiment fractured.
Despite the recent pullback, several analysts have told Cryptonews that the current downturn looks more like a macro-driven correction than the start of a prolonged freeze, pointing to institutional adoption, regulatory progress, and sector resilience as signs the foundation remains strong.
Bitwise’s Danny Nelson and HashKey’s Tim Sun both argued that the market is far from a full-blown winter.
They noted that, unlike previous collapses, the current cycle has not seen a catastrophic event like FTX, and that infrastructure improvements, from tokenization to stablecoin expansion, continue to strengthen the ecosystem.
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