On May 22, 2010, programmer Laszlo Hanyecz bought two pizzas with 10,000 bitcoins, completing the first transaction of purchasing physical goods with bitcoin, making "Bitcoin Pizza Day" a grand festival celebrated by the crypto community annually; 15 years later, the symbolic significance of May 22 was perfectly inherited: On this day in 2025, US President Trump gathered the first 220 $TRUMP token holders for a grand dinner, specially inviting the top 25 holders to a private reception and White House VIP tour. Coincidentally, bitcoin also broke through $110,000 for the first time, setting a new historical high.
As the most powerful person on Earth, Trump's close interaction with the crypto world is destined to become a new milestone in the industry; and under the spotlight, a face from the East was particularly eye-catching - he is Justin Sun, global advisor of HTX, founder of TRON, largest $TRUMP holder, and advisor to the Trump family's crypto project WLFI.
The Long Journey of Crypto Mainstreaming, Justin Sun's Steadfast Preaching
The development of the crypto industry is an epic story from grassroots to mainstream. When the bitcoin pizza post was made on the forum, few could have imagined that this idealistic experiment of cryptography geeks would enter the most authoritative political center 15 years later, becoming an important force in reshaping global political, financial, and cultural order.
This process is inseparable from the contributions of numerous devout preachers and steadfast builders, and Justin Sun is particularly notable. Having been in the crypto industry for over a decade, he maintains his initial enthusiasm without a hint of fatigue. Technically, through TRON, he actively deployed stablecoin payments, constructing one of the world's most active blockchain networks, with every Web3 user relying on his infrastructure; culturally, leveraging his personal influence and HTX's deep brand heritage, he created breakthrough moments for cryptocurrencies. From the Buffett lunch to high-priced banana art, from Forbes magazine covers to inviting HTX users on a space trip, Justin Sun opened windows for the public to glimpse the crypto world, leading more people to understand the charm of blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
Moreover, Justin Sun, known for his unique strategic vision, is pioneering a new path to promote large-scale crypto adoption. From late last year to early this year, he invested twice in the Trump family's crypto project World Liberty Financial (WLFI), totaling $75 million, and became a project advisor; at Dubai TOKEN2049, he chatted with Trump's second son Eric Trump, after which the WLFI-issued stablecoin USD1 was globally launched on HTX and is about to be integrated with TRON. In fact, long before Wall Street traditional financial giants began exploring cryptocurrencies and before US politicians from both parties fiercely debated crypto legislation, Justin Sun had already begun his layout in the US market and with the Trump family. Why? Let's hear from Justin Sun himself.
"I believed very early that President Trump would bring many positive influences to the cryptocurrency field, and after his election, the entire crypto world was renewed," Justin Sun said. By serving as an advisor, "I build a communication bridge between the crypto industry and the president, which might also be a bridge for future US-China communication. My original intention was to establish a good relationship with the Trump family and bring more people from the traditional world into the blockchain world. We will cooperate long-term and continuously with President Trump's cryptocurrency project to promote the development and progress of our entire industry."
Behind Trump's Dinner: A New Chapter in Cryptocurrency Development
During his first term, Trump scoffed at bitcoin, but now, bitcoin has become a key leverage for his re-election and an important agenda for his second term. Hosting this dinner directly indicates that mainstream acceptance of cryptocurrencies has reached an unprecedented height. As Justin Sun said at the dinner, "Just recently, crypto practitioners were constantly oppressed, and we couldn't have held such a grand event in Washington, gathering all practitioners in the US to build the crypto industry." This is not a simple marketing event, but a sign that US political ecology is re-recognizing the value of crypto assets and blockchain technology: it is both a tool for financial transformation and a carrier for connecting young voters and building a new economic network.
On Pizza Day, when Justin Sun stood on the global political symbolic stage with the achievements and vision of the crypto industry - this is not a coincidence, but a concrete manifestation of the crypto world moving from the margins to the center.
Justin Sun is not only a leader in the crypto industry but also a technical diplomat maintaining long-term dialogue with multiple sovereign governments. In this dinner, his identity is not just that of a guest, but a messenger and dialoguer - representing the olive branch extended by the crypto world to traditional systems and a guide for mainstream systems exploring the crypto space.
When Trump's hand shook Justin Sun's, the barriers between mainstream and crypto worlds were accelerated to dissolve, and the era of integration gradually began. In this critical transition period where the crypto industry moves from "anti-establishment" to "influencing establishment", driven by Justin Sun and countless builders, the industry will no longer be just a pursuit of technology, but will truly begin participating in the formation of global rules. With the Bitcoin Strategic Reserve Act signed, the GENIUS Stablecoin Act entering revision procedures, and bitcoin breaking $110,000... the future that the crypto world has always been pursuing may have arrived.
From Pizza to Feast, the Legend Continues
Bitcoin Pizza Day is more than a holiday; it's a way of "commemoration". It reminds us that all great things originate from small attempts - two pizzas, a transaction between two geeks, a seemingly meaningless code.
Today, when crypto industry leaders toast face-to-face with the US President, we find that the legendary pizza-buying story has not ended but is being rewritten in another way.
The more important question is: How will we write the next 15 years?
Justin Sun is still running. And each of us is a fellow traveler in this historical torrent.
