John McAfee
© Getty ImagesThe software tycoon's presidential run has taken on a "Being John McAfee" vibe.
The crypto-enthusiast has donned a wig, jumped on a boat and is now on the run from the IRS. But that won't stop his 2020 presidential campaign.

John McAfee's presidential bid has just taken a turn.

Last year, the former antivirus software magnate announced his intention to run as a candidate in the 2020 US presidential election. But in a series of videos posted to Twitter on Tuesday, McAfee claimed he will now have to run his campaign "in exile" because he's fleeing felony charges brought by the IRS.

How do you run for president when you're on the run? Using thousands of surrogate "road warriors" dressed up in John McAfee masks.

"Today a grand jury was convened by the IRS to indict Janice [McAfee, John McAfee's wife] and myself and four as-yet-unnamed campaign workers, for various tax fraud issues," he said in one video post, filmed on his "freedom boat" in unnamed tropical waters.

CNET was unable to verify the nature of the IRS indictment. The IRS has been contacted for comment. McAfee couldn't be immediately reached for comment.


Three hours later, McAfee outlined his grand plans for running his campaign.

"You're probably wondering how I'm going to manage my presidential campaign from a boat," he said in a later video.

"[Volunteers] are creating masks of my face which are going to be given to thousands of people in two different groups. First our road warriors who, once a month are going to appear in parks, street corners, restaurants all around America while I speak through loud speakers through them."


McAfee said a second group would appear in the masks at keynotes and conferences to represent his campaign on the road.

"I will be going to conferences as a surrogate. I will be looking at people through a camera, answering questions, shaking hands as I tell my surrogate to shake hands, and speaking."

While the McAfee 2020 campaign has pivoted, it's certainly been far from mundane until this point.

Since announcing his presidential run in June 2018 (on a platform of serving the "crypto community" and using his platform to "tell the truth"), McAfee's Twitter feed has been filled with spicy (and downright NSFW) memes about his bid to become the leader of the free world.

By Tuesday, his social media feed included posts of McAfee in a wig he says he used for "walking past government observers surrounding our neighborhoid [sic]" and videotaped screeds about cryptocurrencies and fighting the "yoke" of government control.