How did Kamala Harris miss the crypto roundtable?

Tyler Winklevoss, co-founder of cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, expressed surprise that Kamala Harris did not attend the cryptocurrency roundtable held on August 8.

“All he needed was an internet connection,” Tyler wrote in a post on X.

Kamala Harris is the current US Vice President and the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in the upcoming election. Her main rival is former President Donald Trump, who has increasingly touted his crypto-friendly stance, including his promise to end Joe Biden’s “war on crypto” if elected.

Biden will not be running after dropping his candidacy and supporting his vice president, which many observers say gives Harris a great chance to hit the reset button on her party’s stance on crypto.

But Trump’s Bitcoin (BTC) 2024 conference is a missed opportunity. Critics also point out that Harris has yet to speak openly about crypto. And among them are observations that Operation Chokepoint 2.0 is still alive.

In the US in particular, there are around 50 million cryptocurrency holders who want their votes to be counted in making the US a top destination for blockchain and crypto innovation.

“Technical difficulties?” wondered Winklevoss.

Crypto clearly wants Harris to clarify her stance and provide some direction on what her administration will be like for crypto. Trump has done just that, including vowing to never sell the US government’s Bitcoin stake, firing Gary Gensler, and supporting a policy that aims to establish a Bitcoin reserve.

Does that mean Harris should attend the meeting? Perhaps not, as some of the White House’s most senior officials attended the crypto roundtable on August 8.

Still, the meeting was virtual, and Tyler, like Cameron Winklevoss, couldn’t help but take umbrage at her “no-show.”

“I understand he was on the campaign trail, but the meeting was virtual. All he needed was an internet connection. Technical difficulties?” the Gemini co-founder shared on X.

Tyler also dismissed the Crypto4Harris campaign, which claims to be a “grassroots” effort by those seeking a detailed crypto policy approach for the Harris Presidential campaign.

The most interesting (funny?) part of the Crypto4Harris plan is the “nuanced” approach to crypto policy. As if nuance is the appropriate corrective measure for an Administration trying to destroy our entire industry. I guess this was a mostly peaceful war on crypto. pic.twitter.com/PXOwQDsyja

— Cameron Winklevoss (@cameron) August 9, 2024

Who attended the roundtable?

According to The Block, attendees included Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo and National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard. Kamala Harris’ legislative affairs director Kristine Lucius also attended.

Industry figures such as Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, Circle’s Jeremy Allaire and Coinbase’s general counsel Paul Grewal attended the second meeting held at the White House.

Top executives from Uniswap, Stellar Development Foundation, Kraken, and crypto venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz attended the meeting.