Key Points
- Top Democratic donors are encouraging Kamala Harris to attend a U.S. crypto conference.
- This push comes after pro-crypto remarks made by former President Donald Trump at a recent crypto event.
Democratic donors are reportedly advocating for Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, to make an appearance at a crypto conference in the United States this fall.
This push is seemingly a response to the pro-crypto comments made by former President Donald Trump at the Bitcoin 2024 event held in Nashville, Texas last week.
Harris’ Potential Appearance at Permissionless III
A report from Decrypt reveals that influential Democratic donors are urging crypto media firm Blockworks to secure Kamala Harris as a speaker at its upcoming crypto conference, Permissionless III. Set to take place from Oct. 9-11 in Salt Lake City, the event is already featuring big names like a16z crypto founder Chris Dixon, Galaxy Digital boss Michael Novogratz, and Republican Tom Emmer.
Jason Yanowitz, the founder of Blockworks, shared with Decrypt that the company is being encouraged by some of the biggest Democratic donors to ensure Harris’ attendance. However, he did not disclose the identities of those advocating for her appearance.
Political Presence in the Crypto Space
According to Yanowitz, Blockworks aims to foster a more bipartisan atmosphere at this year’s conference, contrasting with the predominantly Republican tone of Bitcoin 2024.
In mid-July, a16z founders Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz publicly supported former President Donald Trump and announced plans to donate to PACs supporting him. On the other hand, Democratic megadonor Michael Novogratz appears to be pro-Harris, stating that the Democratic presidential nominee will make the race more challenging for Trump.
Harris’ views on crypto have not yet been publicly disclosed, but have been a topic of discussion in the industry since President Biden announced his withdrawal from the election race this fall. In a July 24 post on X, Bitcoin Magazine CEO David Bailey referred to an undisclosed “major Democrat donor” saying that Kamala Harris had privately referred to Bitcoin (BTC) as “money for criminals.”
Recently, it was reported that members of Harris’ campaign team had reached out to several top U.S. crypto companies, including Coinbase, Circle, and Ripple Labs, in an effort to “reset relations” with the industry.
