In a recent livestream, Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson sparked significant speculation regarding whether the US government could adopt Cardano under the guidance of Elon Musk—now heading the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Though no official confirmations have emerged from the Department of Government Efficiency, the US Treasury, or Musk himself, the talk among industry observers centers on the potential for Cardano to play a critical role in federal blockchain initiatives.
Elon Musk’s influence on the administration of President Donald Trump dates back to the mogul’s leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency—an initiative aimed at revamping government operations. Despite facing criticism over corporate power and government policy intersections, Musk’s sway has only expanded, prompting curiosity about his next moves in the crypto space.
Hoskinson Says Cardano Will Be Ready
In Hoskinson’s view, Musk’s ambitions could encompass encouraging the federal government to adopt blockchain technology. According to Hoskinson: “And also he [Elon Musk] is going to make recommendations for the US government to adopt cryptocurrency as well. And there’s been a lot of discussion. Would Cardano be in that conversation? I would believe so.”
However, Hoskinson emphasized that US government procurement is not a straightforward process:“The challenge is that Elon can’t mandate that the US government do that. It has to go through the normal procurement process. And what will happen is that those RFPs will take years to work their way through because there will be lawsuits and debates and congressional acts that are required, all kinds of things. And so, you know, whenever that process comes, we’ll be there.”
Hoskinson also addressed the climate of regulatory pressure under previous years, highlighting that several major crypto exchanges—Coinbase, Kraken, and Binance—faced lawsuits. He described incidents involving financial institutions shutting down crypto-related bank accounts and stressed the importance of creating a more welcoming environment in the United States.
“The last four years were horrible, where Coinbase got sued, Kraken got sued, Binance got sued, and you had the FDIC telling banks to de-platform cryptocurrency companies. I had bank accounts shut down. So the number one goal is get rid of that environment. The number two goal is to create a pro-growth environment… And the number three goal is let’s get the United States government on a blockchain. Let’s make sure Cardano is part of that story, and I think there’s a path there,” Hoskinson said.
Musk’s relationship with crypto—particularly Dogecoin—has been widely publicized. Yet the billionaire’s next steps remain uncertain. Hoskinson posits that Musk is preparing “to get into the cryptocurrency space full tier” via his platform X. The overarching question is which blockchains Musk might endorse.
“What Elon Musk is going to do with cryptocurrency? We all know he’s planning on getting into the cryptocurrency space full tier, and that’s going to be through X. X will be a cryptocurrency wallet, and it’ll be the largest cryptocurrency wallet in the world. It’ll be 500 million users,” the Cardano founder speculated.
He added that its still unclear which blockchain he will support: ”So then the question is, well, what cryptocurrencies does he support? Does he want to do DeFi? What chains does he want to actually start investing in and doing? It’s been mercurial. Nobody knows. Not Ethereum, not Solana, nobody.”
Recent reports suggest Musk, through the DOGE department, might be assessing blockchain solutions to streamline federal operations. Sources cited by Bloomberg have hinted that a digital ledger could monitor government spending, secure sensitive information, process payments, and oversee the management of federal buildings and properties.
According to additional leaks, representatives of Dogecoin have “informally reached out” to various public blockchains—an overture that has triggered discussions about whether Cardano could find itself on the shortlist of potential technologies for broader government implementation.
Another intriguing piece of the puzzle is Hoskinson’s cryptic remark on social media, as reported by Bitcoinist last week. At that time, he posted on X: “VIP dinner got moved from the 22nd to the 1st. So the super important meeting is early March now.” When a user asked about the dinner menu, Hoskinson offered only: “diet coke will certainly be on it.”
Some commentators have interpreted this as a nod to two high-profile figures known for their fondness—or at least playful commentary—around Diet Coke: President Donald Trump and Elon Musk. President Trump famously had a “Diet Coke button” in the Oval Office, while Musk once jokingly lamented on X about giving up the beverage.
Though it remains speculative, supporters argue the reference may point to both Trump’s White House and Musk’s ongoing role in shaping government policy through the Department of Government Efficiency.
At press time, ADA traded at $0.78.
Featured image created with DALL.E, chart from TradingView.com
