Donald Trump’s Messy Crypto Burger Purchase Shows Web3 Isn’t Ready for Primetime

• Donald Trump spent almost $1000 on dozens of Burgers at a crypto-themed bar in New York City.
• The transaction was completed using the Lightning Network through the Strike app and received on the Zaprite app.
• Donald Trump is now the first former U.S. president publicly confirmed to be holding BTC.

Donald Trump just became the first former U.S. president to purchase goods or services with Bitcoin (BTC) after buying a round of burgers at a crypto-themed bar.

Once again, bringing BTC and crypto into the spotlight, the spectacle has also shone a light on Web3’s clunky nature, as it takes a small team to get the transaction sorted.

Bitcoin Burgers

There’s a good chance that Sept. 18 will go down in the crypto history books thanks to Trump’s appearance at a crypto bar called “PubKey” based out of Greenwich Village, New York City (NYC).

Looking to grab a bite ahead of his Nassau County rally in New York, the Bitcoin-loving former President made his way to PubKey, where he was reportedly met with boos and jeers as he arrived. But, after offering to buy dozens of burgers for the entire restaurant, the mood quickly sweetened.

Using the Bitcoin payment app Strike, which uses the Lightning Network , Trump paid $998.70 for what he called “Bitcoin Burgers.” Fascinatingly, this would make Trump the first former U.S. President to be confirmed as holding BTC.

The Fumble

As cool as all this exposure is for Bitcoin and crypto overall, the process looked like it took some extra hands to see it over the line.

The bar’s owners are seen taking Trump through each step. It was a markedly quiet moment, and even the owners appeared a little anxious, unsure if it had even worked.

Trump can be seen with a flat, golem-like expression, standing between the crypto-bar’s founders, waiting to see if this stunt will be a huge campaign blunder.

“And fantastic, and we’re through!” says PubKey co-founder Drew Armstrong, and the audience applauds. “Not yet,” laughs Thomas Pacchia, the other co-founder, as he pulls Trump’s phone to see for himself. Another moment of quiet falls as the duo works out if the transaction went through.

Thankfully, Pacchia says with great relief, “Oh, it did go through! Alright, we’re done,” before declaring it “the first transaction by a President” on Bitcoin. The former President’s face lights up, “That’s history, history in the making,” before heading off to tackle the press.

Is Web3 Ready?

On the surface of it all, the whole spectacle appeared to be yet another stunt by Trump to further charm the crypto vote. If this was the aim, then it has probably paid off, but the event had a slightly uncomfortable air about it.

The payment was sent via the Strike app, which is built on the Lightning Network. It’s a second layer to the BTC network that lets users make small payments at higher speeds for lower costs. The bar received the BTC through a different BTC payments app called Zaprite.

The process seemed a little clunky as the bar’s owners worked to assist Trump in making the payment, even going as far as to help him scan the QR codes. As they waited for the transaction to go through, nerves began to settle in, and uncertainty over the transaction’s success filled the room.

Web3 is a pretty cool realm of technology that we are all undoubtedly hurdling towards. But it still seems to lack the smooth and sleek delivery it seeks to achieve.

Making payments with Bitcoin is pretty cool, especially for some good old-fashioned Burgers at a New York bar. However, when captured on film, Web3 looks about as awkward to use as it is to describe.