{"id":42555,"date":"2025-04-29T09:35:09","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T14:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/?p=42555"},"modified":"2025-04-29T09:35:14","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T14:35:14","slug":"the-bitcoin-race-has-washingtons-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/politics\/the-bitcoin-race-has-washingtons-attention","title":{"rendered":"The Bitcoin Race Has Washington\u2019s Attention"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"bsf_rt_marker\"><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/guides\/what-is-bitcoin\">Bitcoin<\/a> is no longer a speculative asset or a technological experiment\u2014it is increasingly being recognized as a strategic pillar of global finance, energy, and geopolitical power. As existing systems of money, energy, and technology are being reordered, the United States has a historic opportunity to leverage Bitcoin to strengthen its leadership and secure its position in the emerging global order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"youtube-embed\" data-video_id=\"uIBcQgfRrDg\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"EXCLUSIVE: Bo Hines - Making America The &quot;Global Bitcoin Superpower&quot;\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uIBcQgfRrDg?feature=oembed&#038;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Two big shifts make this clear. First, key U.S. officials are calling Bitcoin a strategic reserve asset\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/03\/establishment-of-the-strategic-bitcoin-reserve-and-united-states-digital-asset-stockpile\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">digital gold<\/a> for the 21st century. Second, Bitcoin mining is being reframed\u2014not as a drain on the grid, but as a building block for energy resilience and advanced computing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and Bo Hines, Executive Director of the President\u2019s Council of Advisors on Digital Assets, have both recently described this moment as a new kind of \u201cspace race\u201d\u2014this time, centered around Bitcoin.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Bo Hines described this new competition in a recent interview: <\/strong><strong><em>\u201cThere\u2019s definitely a sort of space race as it pertains to accumulation of this asset\u2014no different than there is with gold.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The stakes are high: countries like China have begun rapidly stockpiling gold, signaling a shift back toward hard assets. Gold hasn\u2019t been a major geopolitical factor in decades, but that could change quickly\u2014and if it does, nations with large reserves will gain a significant strategic advantage. Bitcoin, however, offers the United States a sharper, more dynamic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.btcpolicy.org\/articles\/a-global-economic-reordering-us-china-competition-and-bitcoin-as-tool-of-us-statecraft\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">alternative<\/a>\u2014one that could not only counterbalance gold\u2019s resurgence but also tilt the global financial order further in America\u2019s favor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>As the Bitcoin Policy Institute\u2019s Executive Director, Matthew Pines <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/9QR48toKxNk?feature=shared\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>notes<\/strong><\/a><strong>, the United States holds a significant lead in Bitcoin accumulation: <\/strong><strong><em>\u201cA good estimate is that America probably holds 35 to 40% of all the available Bitcoin that\u2019s been mined\u2026 whereas we probably hold about 8 to 10% of the total above-ground gold supply.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If bitcoin were to monetize at merely the same pace as gold, the U.S. could find itself in a far stronger position with outsized wealth growth within our borders. As the administration looks to cement our financial position, supporting Bitcoin\u2019s adoption could present a rare chance to reshape the global monetary system to America\u2019s advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the same time, Secretary Lutnick\u2019s comments point to another major shift: seeing Bitcoin mining as a national asset for energy and AI, not just a financial play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Lutnick outlined the administration\u2019s vision for empowering Bitcoin miners: <\/strong><strong>&#8220;We&#8217;re going to make it, if you want to mine Bitcoin and you find the right place to do it, you can build your own power plant next to it&#8230; The next generation of miners in America will be able to control their destiny, control the cost of power, and I think that is going to turbocharge Bitcoin mining in America.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This plan supports two crucial goals:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Energy Independence<\/strong>: Bitcoin mining can drive new energy projects, especially using stranded or wasted energy, helping to strengthen and diversify America\u2019s energy base.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Compute Power<\/strong>: The same infrastructure built for mining can also be used to power the AI industry\u2014giving America the capacity it needs to stay ahead in the burgeoning global AI race.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Bitcoin Policy Institute Head of Policy Zack Shapiro <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/_iarJg1GWF0?feature=shared\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>highlights<\/strong><\/a><strong> how the mining sector is evolving: <\/strong><strong>&#8220;We&#8217;re already seeing a lot of Bitcoin mining companies or what were Bitcoin mining companies pivoting to or integrating AI&#8230; We&#8217;re seeing Bitcoin miners also spinning up AI data centers.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Today, there are growing signs that countries are entering a race to build the most powerful AI agents\u2014systems that could outthink, self-improve, and outperform humans. If this race accelerates, the country with the most capable AI could ultimately <a href=\"https:\/\/ai-2027.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">shape the rules<\/a> of the future world order. In that context, Bitcoin <a href=\"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/guides\/bitcoin-mining\">mining<\/a> infrastructure, which can be easily retooled for AI compute, could become vital\u2014not just for money, but for securing America\u2019s geopolitical position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Trump administration sees these challenges and opportunities clearly. Its agenda focuses on rebuilding America&#8217;s industrial base, bringing key industries back home, and restoring the country\u2019s financial and technological strength. New tariffs, reshoring initiatives, and a growing interest in Bitcoin all point in the same direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there are only 21,000,000 coins, and the time for nation-states to gain a first-mover advantage is rapidly dwindling. As more countries and institutional investors recognize Bitcoin\u2019s strategic value, competition for meaningful holdings will intensify, driving up acquisition costs and limiting available supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Forward-looking policymakers must recognize the profound changes coming to money and technology in the near future\u2014with Bitcoin at the center of both.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we hesitate, others\u2014China, Russia, or other adversaries\u2014will step into the void.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bitcoin is no longer optional. It\u2019s a strategic imperative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This is a guest post by Zach Cohen. Opinions expressed are entirely their own and do not necessarily reflect those of BTC Inc or Bitcoin Magazine.<\/em><br><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bitcoin has clearly reached a point of geopolitical importance that is not something to be ignored. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3787,"featured_media":42581,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32,2],"tags":[76,4406,5428,5372,1605,191],"class_list":{"0":"post-42555","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-politics","8":"category-featured","9":"tag-bitcoin","10":"tag-bitcoin-strategic-reserve","11":"tag-bo-hines","12":"tag-howard-lutnick","13":"tag-washington","14":"tag-washington-dc"},"author_data":{"id":3787,"name":"Zack Cohen","nicename":"zachcohen","avatar_url":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/cropped-680681c5eaa1003648271899_Untitled-design-1-96x96.png"},"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/BitcoinTakesOverDC.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3787"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitcoinmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}