Following his campaign launch on Wednesday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis pledged to protect Bitcoin if elected president of the United States in 2024. In a Twitter space with Elon Musk marked by technical glitches, DeSantis showed his support for crypto assets, stating that they may not survive if the current government was reelected.
To the delight of the American crypto faithful amidst the recent regulatory crackdown, presidential aspirant DeSantis stated that if elected, he would allow the trading of Bitcoin and other digital assets.
“As president, I’ll protect the ability to do things like Bitcoin,” DeSantis noted. “People in Washington don’t like it because they don’t control it. And they’re central planners, and they want to have control over society, so Bitcoin represents a threat to them, and so they want to regulate it out of existence,” he continued.
DeSantis noted that Congress is trying to flush out Bitcoin because they cannot control it. Unlike them, the Florida governor acknowledged he did not have the itch to control everything and would let the technology thrive.
According to him, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies would die off if the current government was maintained for the next four years. The ongoing crackdown by US senators and regulators on cryptocurrency is evident, with regulatory agencies like the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) imposing penalties on crypto exchanges and terming many digital assets “securities.”
DeSantis Will Oppose Sanctions on Crypto
DeSantis noted that he would oppose any move made by Congress to flush out crypto in the US if he becomes president. Although he stressed that decisions on new regulations are left to Congress, DeSantis stated he would not allow them to kill the sector.
The Florida governor has already shown glimpses of his support for Bitcoin after prohibiting central bank digital currencies (CBDC) usage in his state, terming the asset centralized. If elected, his tenure might provide respite for exchanges like Coinbase, Ripple, and Gemini, which are already seeking crypto-safe heaven amidst intense operations scrutiny.
