Bitmart Founder: After attending the Trump dinner, believes America is worth betting on.

Jessy, Jinse Finance

On May 22, local time, the Trump dinner was held as scheduled at Trump's private estate, Mar-a-Lago, in Washington. At the meeting, the top 220 holders of Trump tokens as of the snapshot on May 12 participated in the dinner. This dinner was not just a feast for cryptocurrency, but also brought together professionals from various industries.

Communicating face-to-face with the president, engaging in good external publicity, and establishing connections with other top investors may all be the original intentions of the participants at this banquet.

Of course, the high-profile dinner also plunged Trump, who was already embroiled in controversy after taking office, back into the storm of public opinion. On the day of the dinner, a number of protesters gathered outside the venue, with critics calling it a "degradation journey of the president's money-making competition."

But for the investors truly involved with Trump coins, the external voices do not matter to them. Especially for professionals in the crypto industry, meeting Trump face-to-face is more encouraging. Sheldon, the founder of Bitmart, as one of the top 25 holders of Trump tokens, not only attended the dinner that day but also participated in the VIP reception before the dinner. His direct interaction with Trump has given him more confidence in the development of the crypto industry in the United States. For professionals in the industry, confidence is more precious than gold.

Situation on the day of Trump's banquet (Image from Sheldon)

The following is the transcript of the interview between Jinse Finance and Sheldon:

Golden Finance: Please introduce Bitmart and yourself.

Sheldon: Bitmart is a global cryptocurrency exchange, established in 2017, and officially launched on March 15, 2018, operating for over 7 years to date. I am the founder of Bitmart. I entered the crypto industry in 2013 when I was a sophomore, and it was that year that I issued my first coin, and since then I have been continuously engaged in technical development in the blockchain industry. After graduating with my master's degree in 2017, I started working on the exchange.

Golden Finance: Please describe the specific situation on the day of the dinner, such as how early you arrived at the venue, what preparations were made, and whether you saw any familiar faces at the venue?

Sheldon: I usually base in New York, and I arrived in Washington on the 21st. The event starts on the 22nd. As a VIP, I can enter half an hour early, which means I go through security at 5 PM local time on the 22nd. The security is very strict; bags, gifts, cameras that are ten times larger than mobile phone cameras, and other prohibited items are not allowed to be brought in. The security level for this event is very high; for example, the windows of the small meeting rooms are covered with curtains, which should be to prevent any strong attacks.

Entering the Ao Zhuang Yuan and banquet hall, you will see many personal elements of Trump’s decorations, such as the iconic news photo of "Fight Fight", Trump’s hats, and other gifts around.

The top 25 VIPs, 60%-70% are Asian faces, including Koreans and Japanese, not all are Chinese. Among them, I know two, one is Sun Yuchen, the founder of Tron, and the other is the CEO of Wintermute.

Golden Finance: What did Trump say during the VIP reception?

Sheldon: Trump actually stayed in the VIP room for about 5 to 10 minutes, mainly to express some directional issues regarding the formulation of U.S. blockchain policies, including the hope of providing more relaxed development opportunities for the U.S. blockchain industry, allowing the U.S. to maintain a leading position in the crypto industry, focusing primarily on some encouraging directional statements.

Golden Finance: How much value of Trump tokens did you purchase before the snapshot? Are those tokens still held? What is your understanding of Trump tokens?

Sheldon: Purchased about 10 million USD of Trump tokens before the snapshot. Everyone's trading strategy is different, and it's currently not convenient to disclose my holdings. My understanding of Trump tokens has not changed; it is a fan token and a functional token, and there may be changes in the future. I will continue to pay attention.

Golden Finance: What was your original purpose and intention for participating in the dinner?

Sheldon: First, it's for the sake of fandom; Trump is one of the most influential figures in the world and has a distinct personality. Secondly, as a person of presidential caliber, the gathering I organized as a crypto industry practitioner definitely attracted participants of a different quality due to his charisma. I also aimed for industry exchange. Additionally, the dinner has a strong promotional attribute.

Golden Finance: What is your judgment on the project that is willing to spend money on Trump Coin to participate in the dinner? What is their purpose for attending the dinner? What did you discuss with the dinner participants? What conclusions did you reach?

Sheldon: The participants are not entirely from the cryptocurrency circle, and there are very few project parties in the industry, and they are basically large holders of some Trump coins. There are also industries such as traditional finance, electric vehicle investment, e-commerce, etc. The purpose of everyone participating in the event should be similar. We mainly talked about topics such as crypto policy and the direction of the industry. My judgment is that the U.S. lead in crypto will be hard to shake anytime soon. And as a practitioner in the crypto industry, we should strengthen the communication between practitioners and policymakers in the United States.

Golden Finance: What impact do the conclusions drawn from this dinner have on Bitmart's future development strategy?

Sheldon: We are already in the United States, and I have been in New York for a long time, communicating a lot with industry practitioners. This exchange will indeed have some impact on Bitmart's future business direction, as it involves some arrangements at the strategic level of the company, which is still in the discussion stage and it is not convenient to discuss in detail.

Golden Finance: Did anything interesting happen during the entire dinner? What was your overall impression?

Sheldon: At the dinner, there was initially a problem with Trump's microphone. The microphone made a strong "puffing" sound, and Trump humorously quipped, "My eyes." The overall atmosphere was quite uplifting, and everyone was optimistic about the recognition of the crypto space and future expectations.

Golden Finance: After attending the dinner, do you have a more three-dimensional understanding of Trump himself?

Sheldon: He is in great mental condition, looking like he is in his fifties or sixties, and at over eighty, he can still maintain a high-intensity workload every day, which is actually a great encouragement to everyone present.

Golden Finance: Trump issued Trump coins, and there has been a lot of criticism from the outside regarding the hosting of this dinner, saying that this is a form of corruption. What do you think?

Sheldon: The development of new technologies and new industries will be controversial. As long as Trump's issuance of tokens is not illegal, it is meaningful; for example, Trump tokens can also help promote industry culture. However, when it comes to trading, investors bear their own risks, making it difficult to judge.

This dinner is a private event of the president, and there are information disclosure requirements according to the presidential campaign law. On the day of the dinner, there were only some normal protest activities in my view. However, for the cryptocurrency industry, the conveyed industry information is all positive.

Golden Finance: As a VIP, what is the specific itinerary for the visit to the White House?

Sheldon: The trip to the White House went as planned, but some concerns led to a reduction in publicity. The entire visit lasted for about half an hour, mainly touring the banquet hall, library, and some important reception rooms inside the White House.

Golden Finance: What is your assessment of the development of the cryptocurrency industry in the United States after the entire event?

Sheldon: This trip to Washington involved discussions with many practitioners and policymakers. I believe that for practitioners in the crypto industry, if they have enough competitiveness and are willing to operate under certain regulations, then the United States is currently a good place to make bets. However, it is also necessary to consider the continuity of policies, as after three and a half years there will be a change in government, and whether the related policies will continue is something that also needs to be taken into account.