From two pizzas to a presidential feast: The handshake between Trump and Sun Yuchen is a turning point for the future of cryptocurrency

On May 22, 2010, programmer Laszlo Hanyecz bought two pizzas for 10,000 bitcoins, completing the first transaction in history to purchase a physical item with bitcoin. Since then, "Bitcoin Pizza Day" has become a grand festival celebrated annually by the crypto community. Fifteen years later, the symbolic significance of May 22 was perfectly inherited: on this day in 2025, U.S. President Trump gathered the first 220 holders of the $TRUMP token for a grand dinner, and specially invited the top 25 holders to attend his private reception and a VIP tour of the White House. Coincidentally, bitcoin also broke $110,000 for the first time on this day, 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 for the industry. Under the spotlight, a face from the East stands out—he is Sun Yuchen, global advisor of Huobi HTX, founder of TRON, the largest holder of $TRUMP, and advisor for the Trump family's crypto project WLFI.

The Long Journey of Crypto Mainstreaming: Sun Yuchen's Firm Advocacy

The development of the crypto industry is an epic journey from grassroots to mainstream. When the post about exchanging bitcoin for pizza was published on the forum, few could have imagined that this idealistic experiment of cryptographic geeks would, fifteen years later, enter the most authoritative political center and become an important force in reshaping global political, financial, and cultural orders.

This process is inseparable from the contributions of countless devoted advocates and steadfast builders, among whom Sun Yuchen is particularly notable. Having been involved in the crypto industry for over a decade, he still maintains the initial enthusiasm and has never shown a hint of fatigue. On the technical side, he actively lays out stablecoin payments through TRON, building one of the most active blockchain networks in the world, with every Web3 user relying on the infrastructure he provides. Culturally, he leverages his strong personal influence and the deep brand accumulation of Huobi HTX to create one breakthrough moment after another for cryptocurrencies. From the Buffett lunch to the expensive banana art piece, from gracing the cover of Forbes magazine to inviting Huobi HTX users on a space trip, Sun Yuchen has opened a window for the public to glimpse the crypto world, leading more people to understand the charm of blockchain and cryptocurrencies.

Moreover, with his renowned strategic vision, Sun Yuchen is paving a new path for the mass adoption of cryptocurrencies. From late last year to early this year, he invested a total of $75 million in the Trump family's crypto project World Liberty Financial (WLFI) and became an advisor for the project. At TOKEN2049 in Dubai, he chatted with Trump's son Eric Trump, and subsequently, the stablecoin USD1 issued by WLFI was globally launched on Huobi HTX and is set to integrate with TRON. In fact, long before traditional financial giants on Wall Street ventured into cryptocurrencies, and before U.S. bipartisan politicians fiercely debated crypto legislation, Sun Yuchen had already begun his layout in the U.S. market and with the Trump family. Why did he do this? Let's hear what Sun Yuchen himself has to say.

"I believed early on that President Trump would bring many positive impacts to the crypto field. After his election, the entire crypto world was revitalized," Sun Yuchen said. By serving as an advisor, "I am building a bridge of communication between the president and the crypto industry, which may also serve as a bridge for future Sino-U.S. communication. My original intention is to establish a good relationship with the Trump family and bring more people from the traditional world into the blockchain world. We will collaborate long-term and continuously with President Trump's cryptocurrency project to promote the development and progress of our entire industry."

Behind the Trump 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 topic for his second term. Hosting this Trump dinner directly indicates that the traditional mainstream's acceptance of cryptocurrencies is reaching unprecedented heights. As Sun Yuchen said at the dinner, "Not long ago, crypto people were still being oppressed, and we could not hold such a grand event in Washington, gathering all practitioners in the U.S. to build the crypto industry together." This is not a simple marketing event, but a reflection of the U.S. political ecology's re-evaluation of the value of crypto assets and blockchain technology: it is both a tool for financial reform and a vehicle for connecting young voters and building a new economic network.

On Pizza Day, when Sun Yuchen stood on the global political stage with the achievements and visions of the crypto industry—this is not a coincidence, but a tangible manifestation of the crypto world moving from the margins to the center.

Sun Yuchen is not only a leader in the crypto industry but also a technical diplomat maintaining long-term dialogues with multiple sovereign governments. At this dinner, his role is not only as a guest but also as a messenger and interlocutor—representing the olive branch extended by the crypto world to the traditional system, as well as being a guide for the mainstream system exploring the crypto space.

When Trump's hand shook hands with Sun Yuchen's, the barriers between the mainstream and crypto worlds were rapidly dissolving, and the era of integration was gradually opening. In this critical transitional period where the crypto industry moves from "anti-establishment" to "influencing the establishment," under the push of Sun Yuchen and countless builders, the industry will no longer be merely a chase on the technical level but will begin to truly participate in the formation of global rules. With the signing of the Bitcoin Strategic Reserve Act, the GENIUS stablecoin bill entering the revision process, and bitcoin breaking $110,000… the future that the crypto world has always pursued may have already arrived.

From Pizza to Feast: The Legend Continues

Bitcoin Pizza Day is not just a holiday; it is 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 piece of code.

And today, when the leading figures in the crypto field toast with the President of the United States face to face, we find that the legendary story of buying pizza has not ended but is being rewritten in another way.

The more important question is: how do we write the next 15 years?

Sun Yuchen is still running. And each of us is a fellow traveler in this torrent of the times.