RFK Jr becomes the first U.S. presidential candidate to openly accept Crypto, will BTC donations become popular?
On Friday, Vivek Ramaswamy and Robert F. Kennedy Jr announced their intention to accept BTC donations ahead of the 2024 primary election.
RFK Jr Becomes First Presidential Candidate to Openly Embrace Crypto
Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who is vying to become the next Democratic presidential candidate, made the announcement at the BTC 2023 convention. So far,picture。
Speaking to a group of BTC enthusiasts, Kennedy said, “Almost everyone in this room is aware of the connection between BTC and democracy and freedom.”
He went on to promise that if he becomes president, he will be an advocate for Crypto. “I will ensure that your right to hold and use BTC is inviolable,” he told the audience.
In his speech, Kennedy proposed a plan toThis plan will defend the right of Americans to hold and mine BTC。
He also promised to ensure industry-neutral energy regulation and not punish BTC miners, he believes that Crypto is not a security, and he will ensure that it will not be defined as a security.
Kennedy also stated that he intends to make the United States the dominant force in the crypto space, stating that he will improve the policy environment to be more favorable to crypto companies. "I will reverse the government's growing hostility towards the industry," he stressed.
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Republican Candidate Vivek Accepts BTC Donations Using BitPay
Not only the Democratic Party, but the Republican Party also has its own BTC supporter Vivek Ramaswamy.
Just hours after Kennedy made the groundbreaking statement, Ramaswamy tweeted that his campaign would also accept donations in BTC. He shared a BitPay donation link, asking fans to donate a dollar, "Let's have an election with fiat currency in 2024," mentioned in the tweet.
After clicking the link, U.S. citizens are invited to donate up to $6,600 worth of Crypto. In addition to BTC,picture。
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Lawmakers Want to Curb Crypto in Campaign Funding
Kennedy and Ramaswamy may be the first U.S. presidential candidates to officially incorporate crypto into their fundraising campaigns, but crypto donations themselves are nothing new to political activism.
Last year, the Irish government banned all crypto donations to political parties,The decision was driven by concerns that Crypto could be used to obscure the origin of funds。
In February, lawmakers in the Kansas House of Representatives introduced a bill proposing changes to the rules on political campaign contributions.
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FTX political donations come into focus
Political donations from Sam Bankman-Fried's bankrupt business empire are coming under scrutiny amid moves to rein in Crypto's role in campaign finance. The founder of FTX is one of the largest political donors in the US, reportedly spending nearly $40 million in the 2021/2022 election cycle.
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A property owned by the company’s former co-CEO was recently raided by the FBI as part of an investigation into FTX’s collapse. Agents searched the home of Ryan Salame, with many speculating the raid was linked to political donations, with Salame reportedly donating about $24 million to political campaigns.
Nishad Singh, FTX's former head of engineering and a prominent political donor, pleaded guilty in February to fraud and misappropriation of campaign funds.
Meanwhile, the bankrupt exchange is asking recipients to return the donations they received, and to help creditors recover funds, the company says it will sue political campaigns that don't pay back.
