Bo Hines is a future head of the US Crypto Council. What is his view on crypto?

Hardly a household name in the crypto industry, former college football player and young politician Bo Hines, 29, was given a high-profile appointment as executive director of the Presidential Council of Advisers for Digital Assets (or the “Crypto Council”) stance on December 23 2024. What is his view on crypto?

Not surprisingly, Bo Hines is a pro-crypto politician – if he wasn’t, Trump wouldn’t have nominated him, given the bold support for crypto by the incoming US president.

For years, Hines has been a consistent Joe Biden critic and a passionate Donald Trump supporter. That loyalty did not go unnoticed, and Trump endorsed Hines when the latter ran for the US House seat in North Carolina in 2022. Trump called Hines an “America First patriot,” a “winner on and off the court” and “fighting for conservative values.”

Fortunately, Hines’ views on crypto are far from conservative. Over the years, Hines has made only a few statements about cryptocurrencies. Although Hines was never an ardent crypto evangelist, his statements clearly show that he sees cryptocurrency and decentralized finance as a solution to various problems at the national and individual level.

The statement from the Bo Hines For Congress website: Hines rejects over-regulation and CBDCs

One of these statements is part of the program that can be found at website dedicated to Hines’ run for Congress. The mention of DeFi can be found in the economy section of the website.

As an ultra-patriot, Hines begins with the importance of protecting American jobs and business at home and leans on the America First policy that will discourage companies from fleeing the United States.

Then Hines talks about the decentralized finance sector (DeFi) as a way to increase individual financial independence and inclusion, which is rather a common position.

Hines begins to show his vision when he states that he sees over-regulation as a threat to innovation and future development of the DeFi sector. As part of the Crypto Council, Hines will have to overcome many challenges in facilitating balanced and delicate crypto regulation.

Apparently, during the Congressional Campaign, Hines saw DeFi as the self-regulating ecosystem based on free market principles that empowers individuals and institutions to grow in terms of finance. The emphasis on individuals was key for Hines, as he said crypto gives individuals control over their funds and options.

Another key statement, which can be found on the Congressional campaign website, is Hines’ strong disapproval of the adoption of central bank digital currencies. Hines sees CBDCs as a threat to financial sovereignty and a violation of decentralization principles.

Bo Hines at X: Freedom of Expression and Individual Empowerment in Finance

The only time Hines mentioned crypto at X before their appointment to the Crypto Council was on January 17, 2024, when he called crypto “an epitome of individual empowerment in the financial sector” and emphasized that the government should not interfere in the organic growth of the sector. Ironically, Hines is now the one stepping. We will see if he is able to let the sector grow. “Decentralized finance is the way of the future if regulators don’t crush it,” he concluded.

On many occasions, Hines took to X to support free speech. The Bo Hines For Congress website mentions that free speech is “under attack from the authoritarian left in our country” and lists free speech as one of the conditions for democracy to flourish.

While Hines spoke about the importance of free speech on many occasions, in his remarks he never made a connection between anti-censorship and blockchain. Given the fact that blockchain is great at facilitating immutable, transparent, inclusive and censorship-resistant networks, Hines, as a free speech maxi and crypto advocate, is likely to appreciate blockchain’s potential in this regard.

For all the dedication to free speech, Hines has been tight-lipped about his plans as CEO of the Crypto Council. After the appointment, Bo Hines expressed gratitude to his patron, Donald Trump, and said he is excited to work with David Sacks, a “Crypto Czar” appointed by Trump in the past. Hopefully, then we will learn what the Crypto Council will bring to the table.