KEY POINTS
- Schiff said he discussed a potential appearance at Bitcoin 2025 with Bailey
- Many Bitcoiners said they believe Schiff had been a "closet" $BTC bull all along
- Schiff has repeatedly criticized Bitcoin and has long been a gold maximalist
Peter Schiff is a controversial figure in the eyes of many cryptocurrency users, but as of late Sunday, he appears to have captured the hearts of some Bitcoiners following his meet-up with Bitcoin advocate David Bailey.
A chance encounter
Schiff, known for his tirades against Bitcoin and the broader crypto sector, revealed Sunday that he ran into Bailey at a pool party in Puerto Rico. He went on to reveal that they discussed him "speaking" at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas.
"I wonder if Bitcoin will still be a thing that far into the future," he said.
Bailey reposted Schiff's news, saying, "Peter is becoming the Bitcoin Bull." The post has gained much attention from Bitcoiners and other crypto users, with many welcoming Schiff's potential as an orange pill economist.
Ran into @DavidFBailey of @BitcoinMagazine at a pool party in Puerto Rico. We talked about my speaking at his next big #Bitcoin conference in Las Vegas in May 2025. I wonder if Bitcoin will still be a thing that far into the future. pic.twitter.com/7itG1TLKt7
— Peter Schiff (@PeterSchiff) August 18, 2024
A branding by crypto users
Within hours of his post, crypto users flooded into Schiff's comments section, with many saying they believe the finance expert is "secretly" a Bitcoin supporter.
Peter secretly loves BTC 😁
— JayXBT (@jayxbt2012) August 18, 2024
You’re a maxi lol I love it. Welcome.
— Nate (@ThisIsBasedNate) August 18, 2024
Well-followed account @borovik said he "knew" that Schiff was actually "a big fan" of $BTC. The American stockbroker predicted in mid-2022 that Bitcoin, the world's first decentralized cryptocurrency, will drop to $10,000. As of early Monday, the coin is trading at around $58,600.
I knew you were a big fan of Bitcoin
— borovik (@3orovik) August 18, 2024
One user said Schiff was "not so secretly obsessed with Bitcoin," and another described him as "the closet $BTC bull," adding that Bailey considering Schiff to speak at next year's conference will allow the financial commentator to "come clean and get it off your chest."
A Bitcoin critic
In May, Bitcoiners criticized Schiff after he made a snide remark in response to Bitcoin maximalist Michael Saylor's encouragement to $BTC users to "live strong." Schiff only had four words, "more like die hard," but he received hundreds of negative comments from Bitcoin users.
Some went as far as mentioning how Schiff's Euro Pacific Bank was ordered to liquidate. The said San Juan-based boutique online bank was at the center of questions over potential tax evasion and money laundering following an international probe into due diligence-related issues.
Schiff a headliner at BTC 2025?
On whether Schiff will actually speak at Bitcoin 2025, some users believe it will be a "miracle" if Bailey can get the crypto critic onboard.
Bitcoiner Vlad Costea said he would love to see Schiff at the Nakamoto stage, recalling the debates between the economist and ShapeShift founder Erik Voorhees wherein the two discussed Bitcoin's future.
Bitcoin 2025 will be held at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas from May 27-29, 2025, while Bitcoin Amsterdam will run from Oct. 9-10, 2024 in Westergas, Netherlands.
