Home / Politics / Pro-Bitcoin Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang to Shake Up Democratic Debate

Pro-Bitcoin Presidential Candidate Andrew Yang to Shake Up Democratic Debate

Last Updated March 4, 2021 2:37 PM
Ben Brown
Last Updated March 4, 2021 2:37 PM

Andrew Yang is the most crypto-friendly presidential candidate ever to mount a serious campaign for the White House. And he’s about to go toe-to-toe with the DNC establishment as the second night of Democratic debates  kicks off on Thursday, featuring a stacked field of candidates.

Andrew Yang: the bitcoin president?

Yang launched his presidential campaign with a strong commitment to providing clarity on bitcoin and digital assets. He believes “onerous ” regulations like the New York BitLicense have held back innovation and he’s pledged to clarify the tax status of owning and selling digital assets.

Yang recently appeared at the Consensus conference earlier this year to rally support from the crypto community. 

“If I’m in the White House, oh boy are we going to have some fun in terms of the cryptocurrency community.”

Crucially, he promised to issue guidance on when a digital asset is considered a “security.” Presumably, this means he would lean hard on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) which has yet to provide real clarity.

Democratic debates kick off

Yang is still a long-shot in a stacked Democratic field. He’s going up against established names like Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren, but he’s already polling higher than some career senators .

He garnered enough individual donations to qualify for tonight’s debate (and is about to surpass the threshold for the next debate in the fall).

His campaign has grown exponentially thanks to viral support online and a high-profile appearance on the Joe Rogan podcast. Yang’s controversial policy to provide a “freedom dividend” of $1,000 per month to every American has spiked both interest and criticism, but it’s definitely put him on the map.

Can Yang beat Biden and Bernie?

Yang is hoping to offer a modern, entrepreneurial voice in Thursday’s debate which will be dominated by elder statesmen Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. The pro-crypto candidate says he has nothing to lose going into tonight’s debate.

“No one’s going to want to take shots at the fifth- or sixth-ranked candidate on stage, and I’m just introducing myself to the American people. I feel like I have absolutely nothing to be nervous about. It’s all excitement and potential energy.” Via MarketWatch 

Yang spent Wednesday’s debate live-tweeting and joking  as Beto O’Rourke launched into Spanish. Whatever the outcome, Yang is throwing a much-needed hand grenade into the established Democratic party.