U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance emphasized Bitcoin’s strategic role in U.S. policy and warned the crypto community to stay politically engaged or risk being ignored.

Speaking at the Bitcoin 2025 conference in Las Vegas, Vice President J.D. Vance urged the crypto community to continue its political momentum from 2024, warning that transformational technologies like Bitcoin (BTC) won’t be immune from policy decisions.

“Unless you guys get involved in politics, politics is going to ignore this industry,” Vance said. “What happens in the world of bureaucracy will affect even the most valuable technologies.”

He credited the community’s growing activism with influencing national direction and encouraged attendees to “carry it forward to 2026 and beyond.”

Bitcoin Reserve signals deeper investment in crypto

Vance also spotlighted the strategic role Bitcoin could play in national policy, citing the launch of a government-backed Bitcoin Reserve under President Donald Trump.

“Bitcoin is owned by about 50 million Americans,” he said. “We want to start to put in motion the strategic importance of Bitcoin for the United States government.”

Pointing to China’s anti-Bitcoin stance, Vance argued the U.S. should take the opposite approach, stating:

“If the Communist Republic of China is leaning away from Bitcoin, then maybe the United States ought to be leaning into Bitcoin.”