Why Libertarian Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson Loves The Sharing Economy

Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson would very much like to rent out his New Mexico home on Airbnb, but he can’t because of a restriction in place in his home state.

Johnson says that if elected president, he would encourage more freedom in the sharing economy. “The future is the Uber of everything,” Johnson told CALinnovates Evangelist Kish Rajan. “If elected, count on me to use the bully pulpit to point out how good these things are and to stop with the restrictions.”

In general, Johnson is a big fan of technology. Thanks to social media, he’s spent less money on his presidential run than any candidate in history and is still polling at about 6.5% — not bad for a third-party candidate.

He also understands that for people in the tech industry (among others) immigrants are welcome additions, not a group to fear. Johnson says he would make it as easy as possible for people to come to America with a background check and a Social Security card to ensure they pay taxes.

“We are a country of immigrants,” says Johnson. “We are at a crossroad, and I don’t think we should go the way of protectionism.”

Listen to the full interview below:

 

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