Why Is Kamala Harris In Talks to Speak at the Bitcoin 2024 Conference?
Donald Trump has shared his crypto views multiple times, while Kamala Harris hasn’t addressed the topic at all.
- The conference’s attendance once dropped from 2022 to 2023 amid the collapse of FTX.
- Kamala Harris opposed Project 2025 but had no statements on crypto.
- Donald Trump will host a private fundraiser at the conference, charging tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars and limiting attendees to 100–150.
The crypto community rallied behind Donald Trump when he committed to attending the Bitcoin 2024 Conference despite being shot. Kamala Harris’ team is now in talks about her potential appearance and speech at the event.
Trump revealed the importance of crypto, saying he would protect the rights of “50 million crypto holders” to self-custody digital assets, according to Fortune. Grayscale highlighted that 47% of voters plan to include crypto in their investment portfolios.
Bitcoin Magazine CEO David Bailey highlighted that Trump and RFK have pledged to commute Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht’s sentence. Bailey believes Kamala Harris should commute his sentence before addressing the crypto community.
Kamala Harris has reportedly consulted with crypto enthusiast Mark Cuban on crypto policy, per Decrypt. Cuban suggests that while it’s not confirmed, the vice president might be more receptive to business innovations, including AI, cryptocurrency, and government as a service.
How Kamala Harris’ Nomination as Vice President Could Impact the Crypto Industry
Bitcoin Conference Speakers
Here are some of the prominent speakers scheduled to attend the conference:
- Donald Trump — 45th U.S. President and Presidential Candidate
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — Presidential Candidate
- Cathie Wood — ARK Founder and CEO
- Michael Saylor — MicroStrategy Executive Chairman
- Russell Brand — Creator
- Edward Snowden — Whistleblower
- Vivek Ramaswamy — Former Presidential Candidate and Businessman
Notable participants include Dave Ripley, CEO of Kraken; Hong Kim, co-founder and CTO of Bitwise; Jan van Eck, CEO of VanEck; and Robert Mitchnick, Head of Digital Assets at BlackRock.
The conference has previously featured controversial speakers, such as Celsius CEO Alex Mashinsky in 2022 and FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried in 2021.
Why the Bitcoin Conference Matters
According to Bloomberg, the conference saw 12,000 participants in 2023, down from 25,000 in 2022. The decline was due to crypto crises like the FTX collapse. Despite this, the 2024 conference featuring Donald Trump is expected to be one of the largest.
After being shot, Trump appeared in Grand Rapids, Michigan, drawing over 12,000 attendees, according to Fox News. He is now set to hold a high-priced fundraiser at the Bitcoin Conference, with ticket prices ranging from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars, reports Bloomberg.
Trump’s fundraiser at the Bitcoin Conference will be private and limited to 100 to 150 donors. Fundraiser attendees will also enjoy front-row seats to Trump’s speech on Bitcoin.
Could Kamala Harris be Changing Her Tune?
In a surprising turn of events, Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race after stating he would run. He quickly endorsed Kamala Harris as the Democratic party nominee. Harris has not yet publicly commented on cryptocurrency.
The Biden administration has faced criticism from the crypto industry, particularly due to SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s actions against multiple crypto companies. Markus Thielen of 10x Research predicts that Gensler may resign by early 2025 if a new administration is elected, despite his term ending in 2026.
Biden’s camp plans to renominate anti-crypto Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw to a second term at the SEC. Crenshaw has opposed the spot Bitcoin ETF and criticized DeFi for its lack of oversight.
To win over the crypto community, Harris must address key topics such as Ross Ulbricht, Bitcoin, Gary Gensler, Bitcoin mining, self-custody, and CBDCs — subjects Trump has already publicly discussed.
Although Harris hasn’t commented on crypto, she opposes Project 2025, which proposes abolishing the Federal Reserve and creating a more favorable regulatory environment for crypto. Attending the Bitcoin Conference would be a good opportunity for her to address these issues, clarify her stance on crypto, and outline her plans for the industry.
