Crypto Leaders, Harris Officials to Hold Roundtable

The cryptocurrency industry has the opportunity to shape the policy trajectory of Vice President Kamala Harris’s election campaign through the roundtable hosted by Representative Ro Khanna

The White House advisers and Democratic Party Representative Ro Khanna are scheduled to meet privately with crypto executives “next week” to discuss urgent issues and suggest policy changes.

High-ranking officials from Vice President Kamala Harris’s election campaign and the White House, including outgoing senior White House adviser Anita Dunn, National Economic Adviser Lael Brainard, and Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed, will participate in the roundtable, according to a Bloomberg report.

The White House is actively involved in the cryptocurrency sector.

The roundtable may indicate the administration’s willingness to engage with the cryptocurrency sector and resolve its concerns regarding policy and regulation, which underscores the increasing prominence of the digital asset sector in United States politics.

The meeting follows a previous roundtable conducted in July, during which there was substantial engagement between White House officials and crypto executives. Representatives from prominent cryptocurrency companies, including Ripple and Coinbase, attended that session.

Approximately 50 million Americans have invested in digital assets, and US presidential election candidates are soliciting support and donations from crypto-focused voters.

Donald Trump, the former President, and Republican Party nominee has attempted to court the crypto community by capitalizing on the dissatisfaction among industry executives regarding the strict regulatory approach of President Joe Biden’s administration to the sector.

Trump vowed to establish the United States as a global cryptocurrency center and to appoint Gary Gensler as the Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission if he were reelected in a speech delivered on July 27 at the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

Attempting to repair relationships

Donald Trump’s campaign has purportedly collected more than $25 million from cryptocurrency supporters since it began accepting donations in Bitcoin and other popular cryptocurrencies in May.

To reconcile the divide between the Democratic Party and the cryptocurrency sector, Harris’s advisers reached out to prominent crypto firms in July.

In response to a letter from Democratic Party US House representatives, there is an increasing drive for the party to reassess its position in the digital asset sector. The letter underscores the necessity of transitioning from a perceived adversarial approach to a more supportive one.

Additionally, the Harris campaign appointed David Plouffe as a senior adviser. Plouffe, a seasoned strategist, investigated opportunities in the cryptocurrency sector after he departed from the White House in 2013. In 2022, Plouffe became a member of Binance’s Global Advisory Board.

It is uncertain whether Plouffe’s responsibilities will include guiding on blockchain and cryptocurrency matters.