After US presidential candidate Kamala Harris promised to encourage innovations like crypto and AI at a fundraising event, the crypto community has given mixed reactions over what is considered her “first public reference to cryptography”.
Hayden Adams, CEO of Uniswap Labs, praised Harris’ stance, sharing, “I think this is the first time she’s publicly referenced crypto and it’s in a positive way.” When his comment drew criticism, he offered another response:
Lots of angry people in the comments
Yes, Biden has been bad for crypto and actions will speak louder than words
But progress is progress, it has to start somewhere and it has to be encouraged.
A positive statement on technology is more than we got under Biden and Trump’s presidency
– Hayden Adams 🦄 (@haydenzadams) September 22, 2024
But the negative statements don’t stop there. Many cryptocurrency users and developers denounced it saying it was “gullible” to accept Statement from Kamala Harris.
Coinbase Policy Director Faryar Shirzad also joined the “pro-Harris” movement by stating that Harris’ pro-crypto statement is important and constructive because this statement shows the public that she believes that innovation digital assets is very important, as much as artificial intelligence; and it recognizes that there is a way to promote innovation while protecting consumers and investors. He added“@JoeBiden made it known that @SenWarren controlled the fin regulations, so we waged a senseless and destructive years-long war against American innovation. @KamalaHarris going out of her way to mention crypto should send a clear message that the Biden/Warren era of destruction is over.
Furthermore, Faryar Shirzad believes that this statement was made after weeks of contact with those around him, thoughtful and open to cryptos.
However, other crypto users were quick to call out Shirzad’s “denial” as they pointed out that the vice president was still in the office and could “lead by example.” Some of them also pointed out the difference between digital assets and cryptocurrencies and added that central bank digital currency (CBDC) could be the “digital asset” they were referring to.
Note that Vice President Kamala Harris previously proposed her policy positions for the incoming presidential administration, which included AI but completely ignored “crypto”. But recently, the former Trump aide and SkyBridge founder revealed that Harris had joined a group of crypto advocates to draft her campaign’s crypto policies. He also hinted at some of his crypto talks with industry insiders that will be held next week. Although it was only a matter of time before Harris addressed the crypto industry, amid all the buzz, we can definitely expect more crypto gimmicks from Trump and Harris in the future.
Read also: How Donald Trump plans to use crypto to make America great again