Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, has presented a list of legislative proposals to combat “woke politics.” At a news conference, DeSantis expressed support for Bitcoin while criticizing Democrats in Washington, D.C. for allegedly attempting to create a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), which he claims will be used to track and control Americans’ financial behavior. DeSantis previously stated he would submit a state law banning CBDCs, which he referred to as “Big Brother’s Digital Dollar.”
In response to a query at a press conference on Tuesday, he said, “They don’t like crypto because they can’t control it. They want to ban cryptocurrency, but in my opinion, it is up to the individual whether they choose to invest in it or not.”
DeSantis also unveiled laws that he feels “prioritise woke ideals and virtue signalling over common sense financial practices” in “Environment, Social, and Governance” (ESG) regulations. The proposed legislation would forbid the financial industry from taking so-called “social credit” into account when making investments at the state and local levels. Another bill would ban discrimination against customers for their religious, political, or social beliefs.
The governor of Florida connected the CBDC controversy to his disapproval of “woke” activities, claiming that supporters “will impose ESG and social credit scores onto that, and that’s going to be a huge reduction in freedom for people in this country.” He has previously stated that the goal of CBDCs is to “surveillance and control Americans.” He has been a prominent critic of “woke politics” and has been embroiled in a dispute with Disney over the company’s opposition to Florida laws banning the inclusion of LGBTQ content in school curricula. He has accused Disney of being “a woke corporation based in California”.
While DeSantis defended cryptocurrency, he suggested that Democrats in Washington oppose it because they cannot control it. His proposed ban on CBDCs, however, has been criticized by some who believe that such currencies could provide benefits such as increased financial inclusion and reduced fraud.