The Libertarian Party Has a US Presidential Candidate – What’s His Crypto Platform?

The Libertarian Party of the United States has chosen a different candidate after Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. each spoke at the party's convention on Memorial Day weekend.

On May 26, Libertarian Party delegates nominated Chase Oliver for the presidency of the United States ahead of the November 2024 election, giving the face to the third largest political party in the country. The 38-year-old entered the presidential race with most Americans ready to vote for either President Joe Biden or Donald Trump, the Democratic and Republican nominees.

Oliver's nomination came after Trump addressed the Libertarian Party convention on May 25. Reports suggest that many hurled insults at the former president or called him a “liar” and a “fooler”, pretending to embody the party's values. RFK Jr. He spoke at the convention on May 24, but was dropped as a candidate after receiving only 2% of the vote.

Many members of the Libertarian Party have supported aspects of cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin (BTC). The party's platform states that “individuals engaged in voluntary exchange should freely use as money any commodity or goods that are mutually agreeable.”

Related: Neither Joe Biden nor Donald Trump are crypto champions

Although Oliver has often publicly expressed his views on the economy and individual choice, Cointelegraph could not be reached for his opinion on digital assets at the time of publication. The Libertarian candidate supports the release of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, who is currently serving two life sentences for his role in launching and managing the online marketplace.

“Trump says he'll put a libertarian in his cabinet, he'll protect crypto, he'll protect it [a central bank digital currency] And fix Ross's sentence,” Republican Corbin Sabol said in a May 26 X post. “However, this is not good enough for libertarians. […] They suggested Chase Oliver and probably won't even get 3% this time.

Oliver asked for support to nominate Mike ter Maat as his running mate. The 63-year-old Portland native's platform includes opposing the Federal Reserve's central bank digital currency (CBCC) and deregulation of cryptocurrency. He supported jail time for former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried for defrauding clients.

The Libertarian Party – despite being the third largest in the United States – won only 3 percent of the popular vote in the 2016 presidential election and is unlikely to win in 2024. However, due to the “winner-take-all” nature of the Electoral College, any third-party presidential candidate in many US states could influence the election by taking votes away from President Biden or Trump.

Less than six months before US election day on November 5, Trump has spoken more openly on crypto. In May, he said he accepts campaign donations using digital assets and is “very positive and open-minded” about the technology. President Biden will have three crypto-focused bills cross his desk before November that could sway some voters.

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