Florida governor Ron Desantis came out in support of Bitcoin and in opposition to central bank digital currencies in his official announcement of his presidential candidacy.
Desantis formally announced his presidential run on Twitter Spaces with Elon Musk and venture capitalist David Sack on May 24. DeSantis has become a frontrunner in the Republican Party since Donald Trump failed to secure reelection in 2020 and his candidacy has been widely anticipated.
DeSantis spoke about his plans “to lead our great American comeback,” which involves tackling the big issues with unfettered immigration, spiraling crime, and restoring economic sanity, including supporting Bitcoin rights and reversing the digital dollar.
DeSantis gives a pro-Bitcoin take
During the hour-long Spaces, DeSantis spoke mostly about his concerns about what he calls “the left-wing agenda,” which he argues is authoritarian and overreaching. In his Twitter space, DeSantis extended his thinking to crypto.
Touching upon what some in the crypto community have dubbed “Operation Choke Point 2.0,” DeSantis said people have a right to hold Bitcoin and transact with it, arguing that the government is waging war on crypto because it is outside the scope of its authority.
He expressed concern that Bitcoin might not survive another four years of U.S. regulatory hostility.
No to central bank digital currencies
Ron DeSantis said, “We are not doing a central bank digital currency (CBDC)” if I become U.S. President in 2024.
Last month, Florida passed legislation to prevent a CBDC from being recognized as money in the state. DeSantis said Florida was the first to make a legislative stand.
Senate Bill 7054 aims to protect Floridians’ rights by prohibiting a CBDC from being treated as money under the Florida Uniform Commercial Code.
The event suffered technical difficulties due to systems being unable to cope with 600,000 listeners tuning in simultaneously. It was noted that 2.4 million had heard the show – ranking it among the most popular Twitter Spaces this year.
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