Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a noted conspiracy theorist, vaccine skeptic, and Democratic candidate for president, is an undisputed fan of Bitcoin. And on Tuesday, Kennedy, who recently was condemned by his very own family for claiming that COVID-19 was engineered to target certain ethnic groups, unveiled two policy proposals to further endear himself to fans of the largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization.
Speaking virtually during an event hosted by Heal the Divide, a super PAC with ties to far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green and embattled Rep. George Santos, Kennedy said that he both wants to “exempt the conversion of Bitcoin to the U.S. dollar from capital gains taxes” as well as “back the U.S. dollar with real finite assets, such as gold, silver, platinum, and Bitcoin.”
He said the two policy proposals would be part of his “administration’s mission of making America the global hub of cryptocurrency, particularly Bitcoin.”
The continued boosterism of Bitcoin from the presidential candidate, whose uncle was President John F. Kennedy, follows recent news that Robert F. Kennedy’s family trust had between $100,000 and $250,000 in the cryptocurrency on its balance sheet. (The investment generated an income of less than $201.)
His family’s Bitcoin investment pales in comparison to the millions of dollars he and other members of the political dynasty have in real estate, cash, and other assets; however, Kennedy said during the Bitcoin 2023 conference in Miami, the first public appearance of his campaign, that he “not an investor” and that he wasn’t onstage “to give investment advice.”
A spokesperson for Kennedy’s campaign previously told Fortune that “Mr. Kennedy’s investments in Bitcoin were made AFTER he made his speech and BEFORE the June 30th reporting deadline. There is no conflict.”
The Democratic presidential candidate is not the only high-profile politician to hold and boost Bitcoin. Vivek Ramaswamy, a Republican candidate for president, owns up to $300,000 in Bitcoin and Ether, has invested in crypto firms MoonPay and Shipyard Software, and said he will accept donations to his campaign in Bitcoin. And Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida and another Republican presidential hopeful, also has put his weight behind the cryptocurrency.
