Biden rival backs Bitcoin

US Democratic Party presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has pledged to support the public use of Bitcoin if he is elected in 2024. In an interview with the New York Post published on Thursday, Kennedy Jr. said he believes people should be allowed to use the cryptocurrency freely.

Kennedy Jr. stated that he is opposed to so-called central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) “because they are instruments of control and oppression, and are certain to be abused.”

However when it came to crypto, the candidate announced “I will make sure that we have policies that support Bitcoin and the freedom to transact and that will allow individuals to manage their own Bitcoin wallets, nodes, and passwords. I will allow only the narrowest controls that are necessary to prevent money laundering.” 

Last month, the 69-year-old Kennedy Jr. became the first presidential candidate in US history to receive campaign contributions and donations in Bitcoin. In a statement, he said he was “an ardent and lifelong defender of civil liberties and Bitcoin is both an exercise and a guarantee of those freedoms.”

Kennedy Jr. was at first considered a fringe candidate. However, his popularity has surged, and less than two months after announcing his candidacy, he has already garnered 20% Democratic support, compared to 60% for the incumbent, Joe Biden.

Republican presidential candidate and current Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also recently vowed to support Bitcoin if elected in 2024, and spoke out against CBDCs. In late May, DeSantis signed a bill banning their use in the state.

On Friday, Bitcoin surged to its highest level in around a year, rising above $31,400 per coin.

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