Just as Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) are now a subject of interest amongst several governments and central banks, it has also become popular amongst American celebrities, comedians, rappers, and political candidates
American UFC commentator and podcaster Joe Rogan recently expressed his disdain for the idea of a United States CBDC during the latest episode of his podcast Joe Rogan Experience which is widely watched by over 11 million people. For him, a digital dollar is just a “game over” situation for citizens
Together with renowned rapper Post Malone, Rogan explored topics that bothers on the U.S. financial . At some point in the Podcast, their focus was turned to the potential government abuse of power that would come with implementing a CBDC in the United States. When asked by Malone what his thoughts were of a government-backed digital currency, without mincing words Rogan responded,
“No fucking way. No way, I think that’s checkmate. That’s game over.”
Furthermore, Rogan raised red flags about a potential social credit score that would likely be utilized to monitor as well as control the behavior of people
Malone pointed to the fact that such tracking s already exist. Still, Rogan believes that having the government control people’s money will be the end game as they will enjoy being able to strip citizens of their money. He also thinks that people will be forced to comply with the government in the end due to the fear of having their money seized.
Compared to Rogan’s followership, Malone has almost three times the number. He boasts of over 31 million followers combined on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram
With such a massive number of followers from both ends, the subject of lack of support for a U.S. CBDC has sparked positive reactions from American citizens. Noteworthy is the fact that there’s been no mention of Bitcoin (BTC) or any other cryptocurrencies but BTC supporters are cheering them on as they disapprove of the concept
Top crypto players have confirmed their support for Rogan and Malone’s stance on the subject of CBDCs. Caitlin Long, Custodia Bank Chief utive Officer (CEO) voiced her support for both celebrities, citing that a CBDC would signify the end of privacy and property rights in financial assets. Popular Swan BTC analyst Sam Callahan applauded the tenacity of Malone to discuss the CBDC issue on the podcast, thereby penetrating mainstream consciousness
Similarly, current Florida Governor and GOP presidential candidate Ron DeSantis has been campaigning with a promise to ban the rollout of a CBDC when he is elected as president of the United States. Unlike Rogan who is believed to be avoiding the subject of BTC, DeSantis’ stance on a government-backed digital currency is in favor of Bitcoin, the leading cryptocurrency by market capitalization.
