• Vivek Ramaswamy has become the second 2024 US presidential candidate to accept Bitcoin donations.
• He made the announcement while speaking at Bitcoin 2023 in Miami, Florida.
• His campaign is accepting donations via BitPay’s service which supports multiple cryptocurrencies.
Vivek Ramaswamy Accepts Bitcoin Donations
US Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has become the second 2024 presidential candidate to accept Bitcoin BTC $26,876 donations for his campaign. The revelation came two days after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became the first candidate in US history to do so, setting a precedent for others to follow suit.
Announcement at Bitcoin 2023
Ramaswamy made the announcement while speaking on stage at Bitcoin 2023 in Miami, Florida, stating: “Let’s make the 2024 election a referendum on fiat currency.” He then showed a QR code that would redirect users to a payment gateway with various donation options including BTC and satoshis — the smallest denomination of Bitcoin.
BitPay Payment Service
Ramaswamy opted for BitPay’s payment service to receive cryptocurrency donations from supporters. The service supports multiple digital currencies such as Bitcoin Cash BCH $114 , Ether ETH $1,819 , ApeCoin APE $3.43 , Litecoin LTC $90.99 , Dogecoin DOGE $0.07 and Shiba Inu SHIB $0.000009 .
Campaign Referendum on Fiat Currency
The acceptance of crypto donations by presidential candidates is part of an effort to make the next election a referendum on fiat currency — where citizens can decide between traditional and digital money as their preferred form of payment system or financial infrastructure provider.
Eligible U.S Citizens & Permanent Residents
According to Ramaswamy’s website, only eligible U.S citizens and permanent residents are allowed to donate funds through this payment method in order for it comply with federal law regulations related to political campaigns financing