Vivek Ramaswamy, a vocal advocate for the cryptocurrency industry, believes Vice President Kamala Harris will eventually embrace digital assets. He argues that political pressures, particularly the growing support for crypto among voters and the need to counter Donald Trump’s pro-crypto stance, will ultimately drive Harris towards a more “thoughtful” position on the asset class.
During a CNBC interview, Ramaswamy stated that Harris’s public statements will start reflecting a supportive stance on crypto. He explained this shift as a matter of competing for votes, citing Trump’s enthusiastic embrace of Bitcoin at the Bitcoin 2024 conference. Ramaswamy believes that this will push Harris to adopt a more nuanced position on digital assets.
While Ramaswamy supports Harris taking a stand on crypto, he urges her to move beyond rhetoric and address specific issues of interest to the cryptocurrency community. He emphasizes the need for Harris to take a position on self-custody of digital assets, a crucial principle for many crypto enthusiasts, and to clarify her stance on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler, who has been a subject of much scrutiny within the crypto world.
Ramaswamy’s prediction follows his earlier assessment that Trump’s strong pro-crypto message at the Bitcoin 2024 conference could result in a 1% increase in his vote share. Trump’s promises to end government efforts to create a Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) and his advocacy for a national Bitcoin stockpile have garnered significant support within the crypto community.
However, the Democratic-leaning lobby has responded by launching a “Crypto for Harris” campaign, aiming to counterbalance Trump’s appeal to crypto-supporters. This suggests that the debate over the future of cryptocurrency in the United States is becoming increasingly intertwined with the political landscape.
