The bell has rung on the friendly, post-Election Day competition between leaders of two major American cities for who will be the crypto-friendliest mayor of all.

Fast facts

  • Anthony Pompliano, a Bitcoin investor and cheerleader, on Election Day issued a Twitter challenge: “It is time. Who is going to be the first American politician to accept their salary in bitcoin?”
  • Francis Suarez, who was reelected November 2 by a landslide to his second term as mayor of Miami, immediately raised his hand. “I’m going to take my next paycheck 100% in bitcoin…problem solved!” he tweeted back.
  • Not to be outdone, Eric Adams of New York City, who also won his mayoral seat in a landslide, upped the ante on Thursday: “In New York we always go big, so I’m going to take my first THREE paychecks in Bitcoin when I become mayor.”
  • Adams continued, “NYC is going to be the center of the cryptocurrency industry and other fast-growing, innovative industries! Just wait!”
  • In the two days since he won office, Adams has already created waves when he said in a post-election interview that he admired Suarez’s MiamiCoin and would look into developing a similar cryptocurrency for New York City.