According to a number of media publications, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a lawyer for the environment and an anti-vaccine campaigner, has submitted papers to the US Federal Commission in order to run as a Democrat for president in 2024.
His campaign treasurer, John E. Sullivan, made the file public on April 6. Kennedy is rumored to announce his candidacy on April 19 in Boston. Kennedy, however, turned to Twitter to provide his opinion on the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) as word about his presidency spread around the media.
He tweeted about the alleged risks of CBDCs on April 5. His remarks come as the CBDC is becoming a more contentious political topic in the US. Kennedy observed:
“The Fed revealed it will introduce its “FedNow” CBDC in July. CBDCs grease the slippery slope to financial slavery and political tyranny.”
The Fed recently announced the July launch of its FedNow payment services. However, the Fed said in the first week of April that it will start the certification process for the service launch participants. To get ready to send real transactions over the system, certain early adopters will finish the consumer testing and certification phase. The payment service won’t be categorized as a CBDC, despite the fact that it is scheduled to be live in July. This is as a result of the perception that it may be a CBDC that is supported by the government.
Kennedy included the following as well:
“While cash transactions are anonymous, a CBDC will allow the government to surveil all our privacy.”
Kennedy is a lifelong opponent of vaccinations and the nephew of the late President John F. Kennedy. His claims that vaccinations cause autism have been debunked. He is notable for founding the anti-vaccine group Children’s Health Defense. Notably, he has protested against the coronavirus vaccination and chastised the federal government for its response to the epidemic. However, Kennedy would oppose the incumbent president, Democrat Joe Biden, by vying for the White House.
Kennedy is Not the Only One to Oppose the CBDC
Kennedy, however, is not the only one who disagrees with the CBDC. Kennedy has, however, ignored the multiple design alternatives for a CBDC that protects user privacy, painting the worst-case scenario of a CBDC connected to a digital ID and social credit score.
He has said that the launch of « FedNow » is the first step toward outlawing and seizing bitcoin, much like the Treasury did with gold ninety years ago.
Ron DeSantis, the Republican governor of Florida, is also anticipated to enter the 2024 presidential contest. He made his comments on the CBDC while seated in front of a podium during a news conference on March 20. He noted:
“A CBDC enables the government with a direct view of all customer activities. They can get into society and exercise their agenda, and they will do it. So, what the CBDC is all about is surveilling Americans and controlling the behavior of Americans.”
The CBDC Anti-Surveillance State Act was also introduced to Congress in February by Republican Representative Tom Emmer. The right of Americans to financial privacy was being protected, Emmer observed. Notably, the legislation may prevent the Fed from directly issuing the digital currency to anybody and forbid the central bank from enacting monetary policy based on a CBDC. A measure to prevent the construction of a retail CBDC was also introduced by Senator Ted Cruz.
Cruz claimed the following in a statement on March 21:
“it’s more important than ever to ensure U.S. policy on digital currencies protects financial privacy, maintains the dollar’s dominance, and cultivates innovation.”
Cruz also added:
“CBDCs that fail to adhere to the three basic principles could enable an entity like the Federal Reserve to mobilize itself into a retail bank, collect personally identifiable information on users, and track their information.”
The Support of Senator Warren for CBDC
Nevertheless, in addition to the resistance, several leaders have backed CBDC. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, who claims that the digital currency from central banks has a great promise, is among them. The elimination of fake digital private capital may be made possible by legitimate digital public money. However, Kennedy will probably run as a candidate in Massachusetts even though he is looking forward to revealing more about his campaign in Boston.
