Florida Governor Ron DeSantis had planned to announce the acceptance of crypto contributions for his 2024 presidential campaign, however, this initiative was delayed due to Hurricane Idalia making landfall in Florida on August 30. DeSantis shifted his focus to emergency preparations and responses, including visiting victims and overseeing emergency responses with pictures posted on social media. The announcement of crypto donations was expected to come at a fundraiser, however, this event was cancelled due to the hurricane.
DeSantis has been vocal in the past on several crypto-related issues, including an announcement in March to ban any form of central bank digital currency (CBDCs) in Florida. He also stated in July that he would ban CBDCs throughout the nation if he became President, and promised the crypto community he would put an end to “Biden’s war on Bitcoin and cryptocurrency.” Despite DeSantis’s interest in digital assets, his campaign website only indicates that he is accepting fiat donations made via credit card. There is no official statement yet from the campaign regarding when or if cryptocurrency contributions will be accepted.
The move to accept cryptocurrency contributions for political campaigns remains relatively rare in the United States. Up-and-coming Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have both said they plan to accept Bitcoin (BTC) donations for their campaigns. Additionally, Miami mayor and Republican candidate Francis Suarez accepted Bitcoin for donations, but he dropped out of the race earlier this week after failing to qualify for the first Republican presidential debate.
