Anika Begay
In an effort to “reset” Vice President Kamala Harris’ relationship with the cryptocurrency industry, the “Crypto For Harris” campaign convened a virtual town hall that featured a host of Democratic heavyweights and tech influencers. Despite those efforts, the event, which was designed to articulate and promote a potential Harris-led “crypto reset,” largely failed to garner industry support, according to a FOX Business report.
The nearly 90-minute virtual conference was attended by prominent Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York), Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York), along with California Rep. Adam Schiff. Mark Cuban, a well-known pro-crypto-tech entrepreneur, was also in attendance. However, Vice President Harris herself was noticeably absent, a gap that did not go unnoticed by attendees.
Cryptocurrency Industry Doesn’t Accept “Reset”
More than 1,000 people are said to have live-streamed the event, but the feedback X has gathered paints a picture of dissatisfaction. Comments have focused primarily on Harris’ lack of direct communication regarding her views and policies on cryptocurrency.
Senate Majority Leader Schumer sought to fill this gap by advocating for balanced legislation. He stressed the importance of fostering innovation while also establishing “common-sense guardrails.” Schumer warned of the risks of inaction, suggesting that the lack of U.S. regulation could push the industry to relocate to countries with even less oversight. His remarks were well-intentioned, but they appeared to go little way to allay attendees’ concerns about the broader Democratic stance on cryptocurrencies.
Feedback from industry insiders was a mix of disappointment and unmet expectations. “I was hoping to hear about Harris’ crypto policy and that Democrats would address the issue of companies being debanked,” said Caitlin Long, CEO of Custodia Bank, highlighting a key industry issue still being pushed by Democrats.
Jake Brukhman, founder and CEO of investment firm CoinFund, criticized the event’s format, which he said didn’t facilitate the kind of real exchange of views one might expect from a town hall. “I thought a town hall was about hearing from the people, you know, the people in the town. Instead, we got some lectures about people’s views on cryptocurrency and where they should go politically,” he noted.
The effectiveness of the event has been unfavorably compared to the efforts of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has made clear his intention to implement a more flexible regulatory framework for the sector.
Tyler Winklevoss expressed his displeasure with the town hall format and Harris’ absence, tweeting: “Pre-recorded videos. Script readings. Harris absent from her own event. What a clown show,” signaling a deep dissatisfaction that could affect industry support for Republican candidates.
David Bailey, CEO of Bitcoin Magazine and organizer of the Bitcoin conference, wrote via X: “Every day Kamala Harris ignores public inquiry and her donors regarding her cryptocurrency policy ‘reset,’ she is sending the strongest possible message before publishing it in a press release: she is out to screw us.”
At press time, BTC was trading at $58,460.
Featured image from The Times Of Israel, chart from TradingView.com
