There’s a new sheriff in town—or at least that’s how Vice President JD Vance framed it from the main stage at Bitcoin 2025 in Las Vegas. In a packed ballroom at The Venetian, the Republican VP laid out the clearest message yet from the Trump administration: the days of what he called “regulatory harassment” are over.
“Operation Choke Point 2.0 is dead,” Vance announced to roaring applause. “Let my words serve as its obituary.”
The speech was more than red meat for a Bitcoin-heavy crowd. It marked the first time a sitting U.S. vice president has addressed a crypto-specific conference. Vance wasn’t there to hedge; he delivered a full-throated endorsement of digital assets, called blockchain a national priority, and torched the Biden-era policy legacy—especially the SEC.
“We reject regulators, and we fired Gary Gensler,” he said, hammering the very agency that’s spent the last four years tangling with Coinbase, Ripple, Uniswap, and just about every major protocol with a legal team.
Vance made the case that crypto is not only here to stay—it’s a cornerstone of the administration’s economic strategy. “Every day I see new blockchain technology and use—supply chain records, transparency, infrastructure,” he said. “The people in this room are the pioneers of the digital economy.”
He touched on Canada‘s crackdown during the trucker protests as a warning shot for what centralized finance can enable. “In Canada, they closed bank accounts and once they did that, the movement was over,” he said. “Crypto is good for bad policy, no matter the party.”
But perhaps the most significant takeaway was legislative: the Trump camp is pushing the GENESIS Act—new legislation aimed at defining digital asset protections and freeing up crypto innovation across the U.S.
“We’re trying to get the GENESIS Act passed and pushed as fast as possible,” Vance said.
In a year where crypto is once again a wedge issue—between parties, between generations, between ideologies—Vance’s appearance felt like a shot across the bow. Whether it resonates beyond the Vegas convention floor remains to be seen, but one thing is now certain: with Trump back in the White House and Vance at his side, crypto isn’t just tolerated. It’s got an ally.
And the SEC? It might want to update its résumé.
