In an attempt to “reset” the relationship between Vice President Kamala Harris and the crypto industry, the “Crypto For Harris” campaign held a virtual town hall attended by a number of prominent Democrats and tech influencers. Despite these efforts, the event, which was designed to clarify and promote Harris’s “crypto reset,” largely failed to garner industry support, FOX Business reports. a report.
The nearly 90-minute virtual conference was attended by key Democratic figures including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Sens. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), along with California Congressman Adam Schiff. Mark Cuban, a prominent pro-encryption entrepreneur, was also in attendance. However, Vice President Harris herself was notably absent, a gap that did not go unnoticed by attendees.
Cryptocurrency Industry Not Buying the ‘Reset’ Idea
More than 1,000 people reportedly streamed the event live, but comments gathered from X paint a picture of dissatisfaction. Comments primarily centered around the lack of direct communication from Harris regarding her views and policies on cryptocurrencies.
Senate Majority Leader Schumer attempted to bridge this gap by calling for balanced legislation. He emphasized the importance of fostering innovation while putting in place “common sense barriers.” Schumer warned of the dangers of inaction, suggesting that a lack of U.S. regulation could push the industry to move to less regulated countries. His remarks were well-intentioned but seemed insufficient to assuage attendees’ concerns about the broader Democratic stance on cryptocurrencies.
Reactions from industry insiders revealed a mix of disappointment and unfulfilled expectations. “I was hoping to hear about Harris’s policy on crypto and for Democrats to address how they’re going to fix the problem of companies being delisted,” said Caitlin Long, CEO of Custodia Bank, highlighting a crucial industry issue that Democrats are still pressing.
Jake Brockman, founder and CEO of investment firm CoinFund, criticized the format of the event, which he felt did not facilitate the actual exchange of views one might expect from a public meeting. “I thought the public meeting was to hear from people, you know, people in town,” he said. “Instead, we got a couple of lectures about what participants thought about crypto and where it should go politically.”
The event’s effectiveness has compared unfavorably with the efforts of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has been vocal about his intention to implement a lighter regulatory framework on the industry.
Tyler Winklevoss expressed his displeasure with the town hall format and Harris’ absence, writing on Twitter: “Pre-recorded videos. Reading from scripts. Harris didn’t show up to her own event. What a clown show,” indicating a deep-seated discontent that could affect industry support for Republican candidates.
“Every day Kamala Harris ignores public scrutiny and her donors regarding her crypto policy reset, she delivers the loudest message possible except to put it in a press release: She plans to have sex with us,” wrote David Bailey, CEO of Bitcoin Magazine and organizer of the Bitcoin conference, via X.
At the time of publishing this report, BTC was trading at $58,460.
Featured image from The Times of Israel, chart from TradingView.com
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