In a recent turn of events, United States presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., seemed to hesitate away from speaking on crypto assets, something very different from his usual pro-Crypto stance. Kennedy is one of the few Democrat leaders who advocate the use of cryptocurrencies in the nation.
On Monday, Tesla CEO and Twitter owner Elon Musk hosted a conversation with Kennedy that lasted for more than two hours. However, in this duration, not once came up the topic of Bitcoin or the digital assets industry. Kennedy announced his 2024 presidential bid as a Democrat last month and he has presented himself to potential voters as an outspoken advocate of Bitcoin.
Notably, Musk and Kennedy’s conversation focused on other tech topics, like artificial intelligence and social media censorship. They discussed calls for artificial intelligence (AI) regulations, Musk’s Neuralink, and how COVID misinformation was handled on social media.
On the topic of AI, Kennedy said, “If I do get into the White House, I think that’s one of the things that I need to pay a lot of attention to.” He added it would need to be regulated in a way so that the tech “doesn’t end up killing us all or enslaving us.”
Simultaneously, former congressman and presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard, who also spoke at Bitcoin 2023, appeared as a guest during the Twitter Spaces on Monday. She asked Kennedy about ideological shifts within the Democratic Party and his stance on China. To which he replied “the Chinese cannot and do not want to compete with us militarily,” Kennedy said, adding negotiations with the country should be collaborative as opposed to “military swaggering.”
Even though the digital assets industry went unremarked during Kennedy’s 2-hours long discussion with Musk, he has focussed on topics related to crypto in the past. In his keynote address at Bitcoin 2023 in Miami, Florida, he championed Bitcoin as an example and exercise in democracy. He also said truckers protesting COVID restrictions in Canada turned him on to crypto’s oldest coin.
Echoing comments made by Ron DeSantis, governor of Florida, Kennedy came out swinging against a central bank digital currency (CBDC) last month. He warned a digital Dollar in the U.S. would “grease the slippery slope to financial slavery and political tyranny.”
Notably, Kennedy’s commitment to the cryptocurrency cause appears to have resonated with some voters. A recent Fox Poll initially placed him at 16% in the Democratic primaries, a subsequent CNN poll showed an increase to 20% following his active campaigning last month.
Additionally, on Sunday, Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter, publicly endorsed Kennedy in response to an interview featuring him, which sparked a wave of speculation and excitement within the cryptocurrency community. However, now with him shying away to speak on one of his biggest weapons, certain concerns have flared up in the industry.
As the 2024 US election nears, crypto is anticipated to play a significant role in the election of the leaders. The voters have displayed their likeness toward leaders who will prioritize crypto regulations in the nation.
According to a poll released by Michael Saylor, co-founder of Microstrategy, about 84% of respondents believe that a presidential candidate must support their right to Bitcoin in order to secure their vote, reflecting the public’s strong desire for leaders who actively endorse and promote the use of cryptocurrencies. This clearly paints the idea that the leaders’ desire to shy away from crypto won’t help them climb the stairs to the White House.