Congressman Ro Khanna Says Democrats Are Changing Their Tune On Bitcoin

On March 11, 2025, Rep. Ro Khanna gave a abbreviated but impactful speech astatine the Bitcoin Policy Institute’s Bitcoin for America summit.

“Bitcoin is transformational for truthful galore radical astir the world,” Rep. Khanna stated astatine the summit. “That is wherefore the Democratic Party should beryllium embracing it arsenic thing that tin make fiscal empowerment for radical not conscionable successful the United States, but astir the world.”

This is the benignant of connection he’s been spreading for years now, and he’s urged his chap Democrats to travel his lead. He’s implored them to not beryllium frightened of Bitcoin but to presumption it conscionable arsenic they presumption different large technological advancements of our time, including the net itself.

“My extremity is to marque Bitcoin bipartisan,” Rep. Khanna told Bitcoin Magazine. “I privation to person Democrats that bitcoin is simply a next-generation store of worth that millions of radical astir the satellite usage and that America showing enactment connected it allows america to link with these people, often immoderate of the astir disenfranchised.”

For a enactment that often advocates for fiscal inclusion, it seems astir ironic that truthful galore Democrats person looked past Bitcoin, an open-source exertion that anyone tin usage with thing much than an net transportation (and, successful immoderate cases, adjacent without one).

With that said, Rep. Khanna made the constituent that, portion helium remains 1 of the fewer much vocal Democrats erstwhile it comes to being pro-Bitcoin, the fig of Democratic politicians who person stated that they’re successful favour of the exertion has accrued substantially implicit the past fewer years.

“We went from conscionable 10 of america oregon truthful supporting Bitcoin and crypto to astir 70 oregon 80,” said Rep. Khanna. “It’s happening slowly.”

And portion immoderate person attributed to malice astir Democrats’ humanities stance connected Bitcoin, Rep. Khanna claims the contented is much a deficiency of knowing of the technology’s intent and usage cases.

“Some Democratic politicians are not alert of however adjuvant Bitcoin tin beryllium with remittances oregon however it tin beryllium utilized by those who don’t person entree to U.S. dollars,” said the congressman. “Many radical astir the satellite usage it for some reasons,” helium added, alluding to the thought that many, including immoderate Democrats, mightiness not beryllium alert of this fact.

The Bitcoin And Crypto Voting Bloc In U.S. Swing States

According to research from Coinbase, successful each of the plaything states successful the astir caller U.S. statesmanlike election, determination were astir 10 times the fig of crypto holders compared to the ballot differential betwixt Biden and Trump successful 2020.

Harris mislaid to Trump successful each of these plaything states, leaving immoderate to speculate that the turnout of the Bitcoin and crypto voting bloc whitethorn person been 1 of the superior forces that swayed the predetermination successful Trump’s favor.

While Rep. Khanna doesn’t cognize to what grade this voting bloc impacted the predetermination results, helium agreed that it was apt 1 of galore large factors that affected the result of the election.

“I deliberation it made a difference,” said the congressman. “In specified a adjacent election, everything matters, and the information that determination were immoderate Democrats who offended Bitcoin and crypto voters was not helpful.”

And Rep. Khanna is not unsocial successful acknowledging this.

In December 2024, astatine the New York Times DealBook Summit, Van Jones — governmental analyst, media persona, and salient dependable wrong the Democratic enactment — stated that it was to the Democratic party’s detriment that it unopen retired pro-Bitcoin and pro-crypto voters.

Rep. Khanna sang Jones’ praises and said that we should beryllium proceeding much voices similar Jones’ wrong the Democratic enactment speaking up successful favour of Bitcoin successful the adjacent future.

“I person a batch of respect for Van Jones,” said Rep. Khanna.

“He spent immoderate clip successful the Bay Area, truthful helium gets technology. The enactment volition beryllium moving successful a absorption that’s going to clasp Bitcoin and different technologies,” helium added.

Will President Trump’s Embrace Of Bitcoin Deter Democrats From Supporting It?

While it lone seems logical that the Democratic enactment would reverse its stance connected Bitcoin if it’s looking to prime up seats connected the House and Senate travel the 2026 midterm elections, it simultaneously seems hard to ideate much Democrats coming retired successful enactment of Bitcoin fixed the highly partisan governmental clime successful the U.S. coupled with the information that President Trump is an ardent Bitcoin supporter.

Rep. Khanna argued that Democrats shouldn’t beryllium reasoning on enactment lines erstwhile it comes to Bitcoin, but alternatively assessing the exertion based solely connected what it is.

“Politicians are susceptible of evaluating Bitcoin connected its merits,” said Rep. Khanna. 

“Bitcoin is conscionable a decentralized integer currency that enables peer-to-peer transactions without a request for an intermediary. People conscionable request to survey Bitcoin and larn that it’s conscionable a mean of exchange,” helium added.

Rep. Khanna besides took a infinitesimal to differentiate betwixt Bitcoin and meme coins, highlighting the information that the president’s precocious released coin ($TRUMP) creates overmuch disorder regarding the worth proposition of crypto assets, including bitcoin.

“We shouldn’t person elected officials similar President Trump launching meme coins,” said the congressman. 

Getting Democrats connected the Right Side of History

At a clip erstwhile galore U.S. citizens are struggling to marque ends meet, should Bitcoin beryllium a front-and-center contented for Democrats, erstwhile wide regarded arsenic the governmental enactment of the mediate and moving class?

Rep. Khanna doesn’t needfully deliberation so, but helium besides doesn’t deliberation the enactment should proceed to pooh-pooh the technology.

“There are acold bigger issues astatine manus close present similar the cuts successful Medicaid, the firing of veterans, and the erratic argumentation of tariffs,” the congressman explained.

“But the Democrats were connected the incorrect broadside of issues of innovation and Bitcoin successful 2022 and 2024, and we present person an accidental to get connected the close broadside of it,” helium added.

So, however tin pro-Bitcoin Democrat voters assistance to get their enactment connected the close broadside of past erstwhile it comes to Bitcoin?

Rep. Khanna had a fewer suggestions:

“They should constituent to those of america who are starring connected Bitcoin and crypto,” helium said.

“They tin promote members of authorities to survey the issue, truthful that they’re not uninformed,” helium added. 

“And they should speech astir the tremendous adoption of Bitcoin.”