In a rare public acknowledgment from a top U.S. official, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent praised the Bitcoin network's resilience and reliability on the 17th anniversary of the Bitcoin white paper's publication. On October 31, 2025, Bessent posted on X, writing, "17 years after the white paper, the Bitcoin network is still operational and more resilient than ever. Bitcoin never shuts down." He added a pointed remark, "Senate Democrats could learn something from that," which quickly went viral, amassing over 19,000 views within hours and sparking discussions in the crypto community.
Bessent's comments highlight Bitcoin's unparalleled track record of zero network downtime since its genesis block in 2009, a milestone that contrasts sharply with repeated outages and cybersecurity issues in traditional financial systems. This endorsement underscores Bitcoin's evolution from a niche digital experiment into a global monetary system, now facilitating trillions in annual transactions and serving as a core asset for institutional investors and national treasuries.
Market observers noted a mild positive sentiment following the statement, with Bitcoin trading near $109,000, as traders interpreted Bessent's words as a symbolic nod to Bitcoin's growing legitimacy in U.S. financial discourse. Although the praise stops short of formal policy support, it reflects increasing bipartisan recognition of blockchain technology's robustness.