In an attempt to “reset” the relationship of Vice President Kamala Harris with the crypto sector, the “Crypto For Harris” campaign convened a virtual town hall that featured a litany of Democratic heavyweights and tech influencers. Despite these efforts, the event, which was designed to articulate and promote a potential Harris-led “crypto reset,” largely missed the mark in rallying industry support, according to a FOX Business report.
The virtual conference, which lasted nearly 90 minutes, was attended by key Democratic figures including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York), Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York), along with California Congressman Adam Schiff. Mark Cuban, a well-known pro-crypto tech entrepreneur was also in attendance. However, notably absent was Vice President Harris herself, a gap that did not go unnoticed by the participants.
Crypto Industry Doesn’t Buy The ‘Reset’
More than 1,000 individuals reportedly streamed the event live, but feedback gathered from X paints a picture of dissatisfaction. Comments primarily centered around the absence of direct communication from Harris regarding her views and policies on crypto.
Senate Majority Leader Schumer tried to bridge this gap by advocating for balanced legislation. He emphasized the importance of fostering innovation while instituting “common sense guardrails.” Schumer warned of the risks of inaction, suggesting that the lack of US regulation could push the industry to relocate to countries with even less oversight. His remarks were well-intentioned but seemed to fall short of assuaging the attendees’ concerns about the broader Democratic stance on crypto
Feedback from industry insiders revealed a mix of disappointment and unmet expectations. “I was hoping to hear about Harris’s crypto policy and for the Democrats to address how they’re going to fix the issue of firms being de-banked,” stated Caitlin Long, CEO of Custodia Bank, highlighting a crucial industry issue still being pushed by Democrats.
Jake Brukhman, founder and CEO of investment firm CoinFund, critiqued the event’s format, which he felt did not facilitate an actual exchange of views as one might expect from a town hall. “I thought a town hall was for hearing people’s opinion, you know, people in the town. Instead we got a few lectures of the participants’ views of crypto and where it should go politically,” he remarked.
The event’s effectiveness was unfavorably compared to efforts by GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has been vocal about his intention to implement a lighter regulatory framework for the industry.
Tyler Winklevoss expressed his discontent with the town hall’s format and Harris’s absence, tweeting, “Pre-recorded videos. Reading from scripts. Harris a no-show at her own event. What a clown show,” signaling a profound dissatisfaction that could sway industry support towards Republican candidates.
David Bailey, CEO of Bitcoin Magazine and organizer of the Bitcoin conference, wrote via X: “Every day Kamala Harris ignores the public inquiry and her donors in regard to her crypto policy ‘reset’, she’s delivering the loudest message possible short of putting it in a press release: she plans to f*ck us.”
At press time, BTC traded at $58,460.
