Author: Veteran entrepreneur and noted crypto proponent John McAfee has announced that his 2020 presidential campaign has officially begun. Of course, with U.S. authorities looking for him, McAfee would likely be arrested as soon as he set foot on American soil, but since when has he let a few pesky details stop him?
McAfee made the announcement Tuesday morning on Twitter, boasting that he is “a perfect candidate to disrupt this system.”
The McAfee 2020 U.S. Presidential Campaign has now formally begun. I cannot be President. You all know this. But I hope you also know that I am a perfect candidate to disrupt this system, and I fully intend to do so. Welcome to our first campaign video.https://t.co/bcWFlMryUy
— John McAfee (@officialmcafee) December 3, 2019
McAfee first announced his intention to run for U.S. president last year, stating that if the Libertarian Party would not have him, that he would create his party.
In spite of past refusals, I have decided to again run for POTUS in 2020. If asked again by the Libertarian party, I will run with them. If not, I will create my own party. I believe this will best serve the crypto community by providing the ultimate campaign platform for us.
— John McAfee (@officialmcafee) June 3, 2018
This will mark McAfee’s second presidential bid. In 2016, the colorful crypto personality was the runner-up for the Libertarian nomination but ultimately lost out to former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson.
Of his current presidential bid, McAfee has repeatedly said that he doesn’t expect to win and that his primary reasons for running are to disrupt the status quo and to use his campaign as a vehicle to promote cryptocurrency.
On his official campaign website, McAfee2020.com, McAfee lays out his platform:
“My campaign platform contains one item: how do we free ourselves from a government that no longer serves us, but instead has become our master – controlling our every action, down to the detail of what we may or may not put into our bodies and minds”
As for his stance on issues like immigration and foreign relations?
“So do not ask me about immigration, foreign relations, education etc. I have no idea. Those claiming that they do are lying to themselves, or if not, they are purposely lying to you. We must first be free. Freedom for The People is my only goal.”
Can John McAfee Legally Run for President?
Technically, yes. Article II, Section I of the U.S. Constitution, states that all presidential candidates must:
- be a natural-born citizen of the United States
- be at least 35 years old
- have been a resident of the United States for a minimum of 14 years
There has been some speculation that McAfee would be disqualified on the citizenship requirement since he was born at a U.S. army base in the UK. Contrary to popular belief, a military base does not automatically count as “U.S. soil” to establish citizenship.
What does establish his citizenship is the fact that one of his parents – in this case, his father – is an American. According to military law, a child born abroad is considered a natural-born citizen if “one parent is a U.S. citizen, and the U.S. citizen parent lived in the U.S. for at least five years before the child’s birth, at least two of which were after the age of fourteen.”
Despite meeting the three basic requirements to run for president, McAfee may still be ineligible. All candidates are required to register with the Federal Election Committee (FEC) and file reports detailing, among other things, campaign contributions and expenditures in excess of $5,000.
At press time, a search of the FEC’s database of 2020 presidential candidates does not turn up any forms filed by McAfee.
Featured image courtesy of Yahoo Finance
