Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Announces 2024 Presidential Bid and Pledges Support for Bitcoin in Twitter Space Event with Elon Musk
Florida’s current governor, Ron DeSantis, made his bid for the 2024 U.S. presidency during a Twitter Space event with Elon Musk, where he also discussed cryptocurrency.
During the live Twitter broadcast on May 24, which had approximately 520,000 listeners, Ron DeSantis announced his official entry into the 2024 United States presidential race. The announcement was moderated by venture capitalist David Sacks and featured Elon Musk as a special guest.
DeSantis emphasized his commitment to “protect” Bitcoin if elected as president. He acknowledged the risks associated with cryptocurrency but stated that those interested in it are knowledgeable and capable of making informed decisions.
DeSantis criticized lawmakers on Capitol Hill, referring to them as “central planners” who seek control over society. He argued that Bitcoin poses a threat to these centralized authorities, leading them to attempt to regulate it out of existence. Additionally, DeSantis hinted at the ongoing jurisdictional battle between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the crypto industry.
“I just don’t have an itch to have to control everything that people may be doing in this space, and I think that the current regime — clearly they have it out for Bitcoin.”
DeSantis
Gary Gensler, the current chair of the SEC, has claimed regulatory authority over the cryptocurrency space. DeSantis expressed concern that if President Joe Biden were re-elected in 2024, the regulatory regime for crypto under his administration would likely stifle its growth.
In May, DeSantis signed a bill in Florida that prohibits the use of a federal central bank digital currency (CBDC) as money and restricts the use of foreign CBDCs.
The U.S. presidential election is still several years away, with the polls scheduled for November 2024. It is expected that Ron DeSantis will compete against former President Donald Trump and other candidates in the first GOP presidential primary debate in August 2024.
Several presidential hopefuls have shown support for cryptocurrency. Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. referred to Bitcoin as a “symbol of democracy and freedom” during a speech at the Bitcoin 2023 conference. Kennedy also made history as the first presidential candidate to accept campaign donations in Bitcoin. Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy followed suit a few days later.
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