Numerous world leaders have expressed their support for digital assets while in office or during their political campaigns. Despite the technology being relatively new and untested, many candidates have declared their commitment to crypto and blockchain. Here we take a look at five of them:
Nayib Bukele, El Salvador
Nayib Bukele, former president of El Salvador, is well-known for his outspoken views on cryptocurrency. In 2021, he led the charge in making Bitcoin (BTC) legal tender in El Salvador and proudly shared his investments on X — formerly Twitter. Under Bukele, BTC kiosks have been installed across the country and the president reported in December that El Salvador’s Bitcoin investments were profitable despite the crypto market downturn of 2022. In 2024, El Salvador’s Ministry of Education plans to introduce a Bitcoin education program for public schools.
Javier Milei, Argentina
Javier Milei won the presidential run-off election in Argentina in November, promising to resolve the country’s economic issues. He once referred to Bitcoin (BTC) as a movement towards the “return of money to its original creator, the private sector.” At the time of publication, Milei had been in office for less than a week and had not enacted any crypto-related policies.
Donald Trump, United States of America
Donald Trump, the former president of the United States, has been tied to digital assets during his 2024 campaign. He has had a few nonfungible token (NFT) drops, including one featuring his mugshot from his surrender to authorities in Georgia. However, following his departure from office in 2021, he referred to cryptocurrencies as “fake” and “a disaster waiting to happen.”
Rishi Sunak, United Kingdom
Rishi Sunak, who became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in October 2022, was already supportive of digital assets prior to being sworn in. As chancellor of the Exchequer in 2020 and 2021, he said he planned to prioritize financial technology and consult on reforms “to support the safe adoption of cryptoassets and stablecoins.” Since assuming office, Sunak has largely not spoken publicly about cryptocurrencies.
Faustin-Archange Touadéra, Central African Republic
Central African Republic (CAR) President Faustin-Archange Touadéra is another active social media user, announcing policies related to crypto and blockchain on X. In April 2022, Touadéra declared that Bitcoin would be considered legal tender alongside the franc in the CAR. He later launched Sango, an initiative to establish a “legal crypto hub” in the CAR to attract businesses and global crypto enthusiasts.
Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has backed policies aimed at supporting cryptocurrency mining in the Russia-allied country. In 2019, Lukashenko proposed deploying excess energy from a nuclear power plant to mine and sell crypto. Before the highly disputed election, Lukashenko proposed legalizing cryptocurrency and certain initial coin offerings in 2017. Since the Russian military invaded Ukraine in 2022, Belarus has been subject to many of the same sanctions imposed on Russia, including the illicit uses of crypto.
Philip Davis, The Bahamas
The Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis has supported favorable crypto regulation in the country. Before the collapse of FTX, Davis said the Bahamas aimed to establish a regulatory regime allowing crypto firms to “grow and prosper” on the island. He also supported the Bahamas’ central bank digital currency (CBDC), the Sand Dollar, launched in 2020.
