Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Will Donald Trump accept US$4.6 million Warren Buffett lunch invite from Chinese cryptocurrency billionaire Justin Sun?

Justin Sun fuelled hype about his upcoming lunch with Warren Buffett by choosing this as the leading image on his Weibo page. Photo: Weibo

The crypto whizz kid who paid US$4.6 million to have lunch with Warren Buffett asked Donald Trump and a slew of crypto bosses to join them.

Justin Sun – the founder and CEO of Tron, which operates the 15th largest cryptocurrency – can bring up to seven companions to the lunch with Berkshire Hathaway’s billionaire CEO. He has invited executives from Ethereum, Litecoin, Binance, Circle, Huobi, eToro and other crypto firms to attend, but not all have accepted.

Sun is working to reschedule the meal after postponing it in July, a move that sparked suggestions he was in trouble with the Chinese government. However, finding a date that suits everyone has proven challenging.

“It took about two months for us to get all nine people to come to San Francisco and sit in one room for five hours with Warren Buffett,” Cliff Edwards, Tron’s communications director, told Blocktv. “We are in the process of corralling all of those nine people again to get it back on track.”

Here’s everyone Sun has invited to his lunch with Buffett.

Why Justin Sun has 1.3 million Weibo followers

Donald Trump, US president

Justin Sun reportedly asked Donald Trump to attend his lunch with Warren Buffett. Photo: EPA-EFE

Justin Sun asked Donald Trump to attend his lunch with Warren Buffett after the American president criticised cryptocurrencies on Twitter.

“I am not a fan of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air,” Trump tweeted on July 12. “Unregulated crypto assets can facilitate unlawful behaviour, including drug trade and other illegal activity.”

Sun invited the president to the Buffett lunch less than three hours later.

"Mr. President, you are misled by fake news," he tweeted. "#Bitcoin & #Blockchain happens to be the best chance for US!"

Trump hasn't publicly responded to Sun's invite.

Charlie Lee, creator of Litecoin

Charlie Lee is the creator of Litecoin, the fifth-largest cryptocurrency with a US$4.3 billion market capitalisation, according to CoinMarketCap. Lee was at the top of Sun’s invitation list.

“I’m thrilled to invite my good friend @SatoshiLite, creator of Litecoin, to be the first guest to join my lunch with @WarrenBuffett,” Sun tweeted on June 16. “More friends to be announced!”

Lee accepted the invitation later that day.

“Thanks Justin! I’m excited about this opportunity to meet a legend,” he tweeted.

5 things to know about Chinese crypto entrepreneur Justin Sun

Changpeng Zhao, CEO of Binance

Changpeng Zhao is the founder and CEO of Binance, a global cryptocurrency exchange where users can trade more than 100 cryptocurrencies. Zhao declined Sun’s lunch invitation, saying he couldn’t make the trip to San Francisco.

“@justinsuntron kindly invited me to go, but I can’t make it,” Zhao tweeted. “Too far. I guess that’s like turning down US$1 million, assuming five guys going, lol … But very much appreciated.”

However, Zhao made time to ridicule Buffett, a vocal cryptocurrency critic who has dismissed bitcoin as “rat poison squared”.

“I guess Buffett will be eating a lunch funded by ‘rat poison’ after all, lol,” Zhao tweeted. “It’s good to be famous, people pay millions of dollars to educate you,” he added in another tweet.

Livio Weng, CEO of Huobi

Huobi CEO Livio Weng was name-checked on social media. Photo: YouTube/Huobi Global

Livio Weng is the CEO of Huobi, a Hong Kong-listed company founded in China and run out of Singapore. Huobi runs a major online cryptocurrency exchange and operates Huobi Token, the 14th largest cryptocurrency.

We couldn’t find Sun’s invitation to Weng on Twitter, but the Tron boss name-checked Huobi in another tweet.

“As of now we’ve only invited @SatoshiLite of Litecoin, @Binance and @HuobiGlobal to the @WarrenBuffett lunch,” Sun wrote on July 5.

Why are stars like Manny Pacquiao attracted to cryptocurrency?

Vitalik Buterin, co-founder of Ethereum

Vitalik Buterin

Vitalik Buterin is the co-founder of Ethereum, the second-largest cryptocurrency with a market cap of US$19 billion, according to CoinMarketCap. Sun invited Buterin to the lunch, but the Ethereum co-founder hasn’t publicly accepted, FT Alphaville said.

Sun and Buterin have jostled and clashed on Twitter in the past.

When Elon Musk tweeted the word “Ethereum” in April, Buterin invited the Tesla and SpaceX boss to attend his company’s Devcon conference in October. Eager to share the spotlight, Sun replied to Musk’s tweet with the names of his two companies: Tron and BitTorrent.

Moreover, after Sun tweeted last December that Ethereum’s bull run was fuelled by hype, Buterin suggested Sun was a “self-identified shill” who is “not worth listening to”.

Jeremy Allaire, CEO of Circle

Jeremy Allaire is the founder and CEO of Circle, a peer-to-peer payments company that has received more than US$100 million in funding from the likes of Goldman Sachs. Circle aims to bring digital currency into the mainstream.

“I’d like to invite my good friend @jerallaire, co-founder and CEO of Circle, to join my lunch with @WarrenBuffett,” Sun tweeted. “Seven days to go and more friends to be announced!”

Allaire replied three minutes later.

“Hi Justin, I would be honoured to join you and @WarrenBuffett next week to discuss crypto!!” he wrote.

“Count me in. Crypto is now a major global policy issue and there is a great deal for Mr Buffet to understand and for us to learn from him as well,” Allaire added.

Will Pacquiao KO Mayweather Jnr in crypto game?

Helen Haiyu, head of blockchain at Binance Charity Foundation

Helen Haiyu is the head of blockchain at Binance Charity Foundation, the cryptocurrency exchange’s non-profit arm. The foundation engages in blockchain-powered philanthropy, and has raised money for causes such as disaster relief, education and combating hunger, according to its website.

“I’d like to invite my good friend @helenhaiyu, head of @BinanceBCF, to join my lunch with @WarrenBuffett,” Sun tweeted. “Five days to go and more friends to be announced! @binance.”

Haiyu replied five minutes later.

“It is my great honour to join @justinsuntron and @WarrenBuffett next week to discuss crypto and philanthropy,” she wrote.

Yoni Assia, CEO of eToro

Yoni Assia is the CEO of eToro, a social-trading platform where users can buy and sell assets such as stocks, ETFs and cryptocurrencies, as well as mirror other investors’ trades.

“I’d like to invite my good friend @yoniassia, founder and CEO of @eToro, to join my lunch with @WarrenBuffett,” Sun tweeted. “Four days to go and more friends to be announced!”

Assia replied in under 10 minutes.

“Justin, it is my honour to join you for lunch with @WarrenBuffett, A big step for bridging between the traditional finance world and the new one!” he wrote.

“There is a huge opportunity to use #BlockChainForGood and happy to share our research on @TheGoodDollar with #TheOracleFromOmaha,” he added.

Galaxy Digital to raise US$250 million for loans to crypto firms

Chris Lee – also known as Li Shufei – is the head of finance at Huobi, the crypto exchange.

“I'd like to invite @Chrislee_crypto, the CFO, board secretary and vice-president of international business development from @HuobiGlobal to join my charity lunch with @WarrenBuffett,” Sun tweeted. “Three days to go and more friends to be announced!”

“Thanks for Justin’s invitation! @justinsuntron It’s my great honour to be the guest of this remarkable event,” Lee replied.

“@warrenBuffett Lookin forward to meeting with blockchain iconic fellows and Mr Buffett to share knowledge of blockchain/crypto and traditional finance world @HuobiGlobal,” he added.

Want more stories like this? Sign up here. Follow STYLE on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Business Insider .
Donald Trump
  • Tron founder invites Ethereum, Litecoin, Binance, Circle, Huobi and eToro executives to his lunch with Berkshire Hathaway’s CEO after postponing July meeting