杀毒软件McAfee之父宣布2020年竞选美国总统

人们的印象里，约翰·迈克菲只是杀毒软件公司McAfee Antivirus Software的创始人。最近他又多了一重身份：加密数字货币倡导者。6月3日，迈克菲在社交网站推特（Twitter）上发帖称，他决定2020年竞选美国总统，“以更好地为加密货币圈做贡献”，并表示可能会代表自由党参选，也许自立党派竞选。

如果说到做到，这将是迈克菲第二次竞选美国总统。2016年他首次出战，在代表自由党的候选人争夺战中，败给了新墨西哥州前州长盖瑞·约翰逊。

正如美国广播公司（ABC）新近报道指出，迈克菲身份已转换多次。他先是科技业的传奇人物，之后因为一桩神秘的谋杀案变成中美洲小国伯利兹的杀人嫌犯，还上了不少头条。而后成立一系列新的科技公司，参加总统竞选，失利后隐居田纳西州的乡间。

“虽然过去屡战屡败，但我已决定，2020年再次竞选美国总统。如果自由党愿意再邀请我，我将与他们携手出战。如未邀请，我将成立自己的党派。我相信，这样可以更好地为加密货币圈做贡献，因为能提供最大的宣传平台。”

— 约翰·迈克菲（@officialmcafee）于2018年6月3日

最近，迈克菲成为了坚定的比特币拥趸。摩根大通首席执行官杰米·戴蒙批评比特币为“骗局”后，迈克菲挺身而出，为比特币辩护。

去年9月，迈克菲向戴蒙喊话：“我是比特币的矿工。我们挖掘比特币。每挖一个比特币的成本超过1000美元。你说比特币是骗局。那么请问，生产一美元的成本是多少？到底谁是骗子？印钞纸多少钱，美元的成本就是多少。而我和其他矿工每挖一个比特币就要付出1000多美元。这就是所谓的工作证明。”

“我胜出的机会不大。机会很小。但真正改变美国的不是总统，而是选出总统的过程。只要支持者足够多，我就可以站在全球最大的舞台，向所有人表达观点，和我上次一样说实话。”

— 约翰·迈克菲（@officialmcafee）于2018年6月4日

迈克菲在推特上有82.7万粉丝，有一名粉丝回复称，美国脱口秀女王奥普拉·温弗瑞都能在大选中打败他。迈克菲回答：“所有人都可能（打败我）。但那不是重点。关键是我会跟未来的总统同台竞选。”

对迈克菲来说，这次竞选算不上认真竞选总统，只不过是想借机提高公众对加密货币的认识。不过，没什么胜算的人借大选发动群众也不是第一次了。（财富中文网）

译者：Pessy

审校：夏林

You know John McAfee as the founder of McAfee Antivirus Software. He has recently re-emerged as a prominent crypto advocate. On June 3rd, McAfee tweeted that he has decided to run for president in 2020 to “best serve the crypto community.” He noted that he would either run with the Libertarian Party or create his own.

If he follows through, this would mark McAfee’s second presidential run, after he lost his first bid in 2016 to former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson to be the candidate for the Libertarian Party.

As ABC recently noted, McAfee has gone through many transformations. He went from tech legend, to making headlines as a “person of interest” in a mysterious killing in Belize, to launching new tech companies, to running to become a presidential candidate, to living in rural Tennessee.

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

Most recently, he has been a staunch supporter of Bitcoin. He came to the cryptocurrency’s defense after it was criticized by J.P. Morgan CEO Jamie Dimon for being “a fraud.”

“You called bitcoin a fraud,” McAfee said in September. “I’m a Bitcoin miner. We create bitcoins. It costs over $1,000 per coin to create a bitcoin. What does it cost to create a U.S. dollar? Which one is the fraud? Because it costs whatever the paper costs, but it costs me and other miners over $1,000 per coin. It’s called proof of work.”

Don't think that I have a chance of winning. I do not. But what truly changes America is not the president, but the process of creating one. If my following is sufficient I get to stand the world's largest stage and talk to the everyone, as I did last time, to tell the truth.

— John McAfee (@officialmcafee) June 4, 2018

One of his 827,000 Twitter followers responded to his tweet saying that Oprah would defeat him in a presidential race. McAfee said, “Almost anyone could. But that is not the point. The point is that I will be on the stage with whoever is picked.”

It seems that this is more of a cryptocurrency awareness play than any sort of serious presidential bid, but this wouldn’t be the first time that someone with relatively low chances of winning was able to mobilize the masses.