On March 11, 2025, Rep. Ro Khanna gave a brief however impactful speak on the Bitcoin Coverage Institute’s Bitcoin for America summit.
“Bitcoin is transformational for so many people around the world,” Rep. Khanna acknowledged on the summit. “That is why the Democratic Party should be embracing it as something that can create financial empowerment for people not just in the United States, but around the world.”
That is the kind of message he’s been spreading for years now, and he’s urged his fellow Democrats to observe his lead. He’s implored them to not be frightened of Bitcoin however to view it simply as they view different main technological developments of our time, together with the web itself.
“My goal is to make Bitcoin bipartisan,” Rep. Khanna informed Bitcoin Journal. “I want to convince Democrats that bitcoin is a next-generation store of value that millions of people around the world use and that America showing leadership on it allows us to connect with these people, often some of the most disenfranchised.”
For a celebration that usually advocates for monetary inclusion, it appears virtually ironic that so many Democrats have appeared previous Bitcoin, an open-source expertise that anybody can use with nothing greater than an web connection (and, in some circumstances, even with out one).
With that mentioned, Rep. Khanna made the purpose that, whereas he stays one of many few extra vocal Democrats in relation to being pro-Bitcoin, the variety of Democratic politicians who’ve acknowledged that they’re in favor of the expertise has elevated considerably over the previous few years.
“We went from just 10 of us or so supporting Bitcoin and crypto to almost 70 or 80,” mentioned Rep. Khanna. “It’s happening slowly.”
And whereas some have attributed to malice most Democrats’ historic stance on Bitcoin, Rep. Khanna claims the difficulty is extra a lack of expertise of the expertise’s function and use circumstances.
“Some Democratic politicians are not aware of how helpful Bitcoin can be with remittances or how it can be used by those who don’t have access to U.S. dollars,” mentioned the congressman. “Many people around the world use it for both reasons,” he added, alluding to the concept that many, together with some Democrats, may not pay attention to this reality.
The Bitcoin And Crypto Voting Bloc In U.S. Swing States
In accordance with analysis from Coinbase, in every of the swing states in the latest U.S. presidential election, there have been about 10 instances the variety of crypto holders in comparison with the vote differential between Biden and Trump in 2020.
Harris misplaced to Trump in every of those swing states, leaving some to invest that the turnout of the Bitcoin and crypto voting bloc might have been one of many main forces that swayed the election in Trump’s favor.
Whereas Rep. Khanna doesn’t know to what extent this voting bloc impacted the election outcomes, he agreed that it was possible one among many main components that affected the end result of the election.
“I think it made a difference,” mentioned the congressman. “In such a close election, everything matters, and the fact that there were some Democrats who offended Bitcoin and crypto voters was not helpful.”
And Rep. Khanna just isn’t alone in acknowledging this.
In December 2024, on the New York Instances DealBook Summit, Van Jones — political analyst, media persona, and distinguished voice inside the Democratic celebration — acknowledged that it was to the Democratic celebration’s detriment that it shut out pro-Bitcoin and pro-crypto voters.
Rep. Khanna sang Jones’ praises and mentioned that we must be listening to extra voices like Jones’ inside the Democratic celebration talking up in favor of Bitcoin within the close to future.
“I have a lot of respect for Van Jones,” mentioned Rep. Khanna.
“He spent some time in the Bay Area, so he gets technology. The party will be moving in a direction that’s going to embrace Bitcoin and other technologies,” he added.
Will President Trump’s Embrace Of Bitcoin Deter Democrats From Supporting It?
Whereas it solely appears logical that the Democratic celebration would reverse its stance on Bitcoin if it’s trying to decide up seats on the Home and Senate come the 2026 midterm elections, it concurrently appears tough to think about extra Democrats popping out in help of Bitcoin given the extremely partisan political local weather within the U.S. coupled with the truth that President Trump is an ardent Bitcoin supporter.
Rep. Khanna argued that Democrats shouldn’t be considering alongside celebration strains in relation to Bitcoin, however relatively assessing the expertise based mostly solely on what it’s.
“Politicians are capable of evaluating Bitcoin on its merits,” mentioned Rep. Khanna.
“Bitcoin is just a decentralized digital currency that enables peer-to-peer transactions without a need for an intermediary. People just need to study Bitcoin and learn that it’s just a medium of exchange,” he added.
Rep. Khanna additionally took a second to distinguish between Bitcoin and meme cash, highlighting the truth that the president’s not too long ago launched coin ($TRUMP) creates a lot confusion concerning the worth proposition of crypto belongings, together with bitcoin.
“We shouldn’t have elected officials like President Trump launching meme coins,” mentioned the congressman.
Getting Democrats on the Proper Facet of Historical past
At a time when many U.S. residents are struggling to make ends meet, ought to Bitcoin be a front-and-center challenge for Democrats, as soon as broadly thought to be the political celebration of the center and dealing class?
Rep. Khanna doesn’t essentially assume so, however he additionally doesn’t assume the celebration ought to proceed to pooh-pooh the expertise.
“There are far bigger issues at hand right now like the cuts in Medicaid, the firing of veterans, and the erratic policy of tariffs,” the congressman defined.
“But the Democrats were on the wrong side of issues of innovation and Bitcoin in 2022 and 2024, and we now have an opportunity to get on the right side of it,” he added.
So, how can pro-Bitcoin Democrat voters assist to get their celebration on the proper facet of historical past in relation to Bitcoin?
Rep. Khanna had a number of strategies:
“They should point to those of us who are leading on Bitcoin and crypto,” he mentioned.
“They can encourage members of government to study the issue, so that they’re not uninformed,” he added.
“And they should talk about the enormous adoption of Bitcoin.”
