Amid increasing cryptocurrency regulation in the United States, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has expressed concern over what he describes as a “War on Bitcoin” led by the Biden government.
Pledging to defend the cryptocurrency industry if ever elected president, DeSantis has been openly critical of recent actions of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against several cryptocurrency exchange platforms.
DeSantis criticizes the Biden administration’s war on Bitcoin
Florida Governor and presidential candidate Ron DeSantis pointed the finger at Biden’s government for his “war” against the Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies. He promised to end this “war” if elected president.
“When I’m president, Biden’s war on bitcoin and cryptocurrencies will end,” he said at a campaign event in New Hampshire.
“We’re going to allow Americans to invest in things like bitcoin and cryptocurrency. Nobody’s forcing you to do it, if you want to do it, you can do it.”
It is likely that DeSantis was referring to recent accusations against cryptocurrency exchanges like Coinbase and Binance by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Although SEC commissioners are appointed by the president, the agency is independent of the government.
Biden’s track record on cryptocurrencies is rather hazy and leaves a lot of room for interpretation. He didn’t take almost no direct action on the sectorapart from guiding its regulatory agencies to study cryptocurrencies and find ways to oversee the sector.
In the past, DeSantis accused Biden to push for the creation of a digital dollar, but his administration has yet to take a position on issuing a central bank digital currency.
This development takes place in an atmosphere of growing tension between the government and the cryptocurrency industry. US authorities have expressed concerns about the possible use of these digital currencies to illegal activitieswhich led to a stricter regulation of the sector. DeSantis, however, believes these measures go too far and hamper financial innovation.
DeSantis and Trump: divergent visions on cryptocurrencies
Despite his best efforts, DeSantis is struggling to catch up with former President Donald Trump in the early stages of the presidential race. On several occasions he has used digital assets topic to highlight one of the points of contention between his pro-crypto view and Trump’s past skepticism of the technology. As a keen cryptocurrency advocate, DeSantis hopes his favorable approach to digital financial innovations could give him a competitive advantage in the race for the presidency.
Although DeSantis is generally considered Trump’s main rival for the Republican nomination, a recent New York Times/Siena College poll found that he lags behind Trump, collecting 17% of voting intentions against 54% for Trump among likely Republican voters. Despite these numbers, DeSantis remains determined to fight for what he believes in, especially when it comes to the potential of cryptocurrencies to transform our financial future.
Source : Coindesk