El Salvador has become the first country in the world to adopt bitcoin as legal currency—and its president marked the historic event in a fitting yet cringeworthy memelord fashion. Congress approved President Nayib Bukele’s proposal to legalize the cryptocurrency in a Tuesday night vote. It will make the Central American nation the first in the world where businesses will have to accept bitcoin for goods and services, and tax contributions will also be payable in the cryptocurrency. President Bukele was clearly pleased with the achievement, writing on Twitter: “The #BitcoinLaw has been approved by a supermajority in the Salvadoran Congress. 62 out of 84 votes! History!” Bukele also changed his profile pic to give himself laser eyes—a meme started by bitcoin obsessives and adopted by high-profile fans, including Elon Musk—before he decided to abandon the cryptocurrency and massively tank its value.
