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Kamala Harris may adopt crypto-friendly “verbiage” in a bid to appeal to the digital asset community at large ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election in November, former U.S. presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy told CNBC’s Squawk Box Monday.
Vivek Ramaswamy On Kamala Harris And Crypto
When asked by CNBC reporter Kelly Evans if Harris would embrace cryptocurrency as an industry ahead of November, Ramaswamy said that ultimately, “her verbiage will.”
“It’s just a matter of competing for votes that she’s going to adopt a thoughtful position,” Ramaswamy said, citing Republican nominee Donald Trump’s highly publicized speech at Bitcoin Conference 2024 in Nashville last month.
“I think that’s a good thing,” Ramaswamy continued. “I think we should want great debate in the marketplace of ideas. Even if she offers a thoughtful digital asset framework or policy – even if I don’t agree with all of it – I think that’ll be a good thing for the country.”
The Cincinnati-born pharmaceutical founder then issued a “challenge” to Harris to specify her actual stance on issues affecting the crypto community as a whole.
“What I challenge Kamala Harris to do is not just cite the pieties and the words – go into detail,” he remarked. “Say what you actually believe about self-custody of assets; say what you actually believe about whether Gary Gensler should continue as the leader of the SEC. So I think those specifics are going to matter a lot…”
The 2024 U.S. Presidential Election Heats Up
Ramaswamy’s comments on the presumptive Democratic nominee come at a critical time for both leading candidates ahead of the November 2024 U.S. presidential election.
While Trump has lauded the blockchain sector on the campaign trail, Harris has stayed relatively mum when it comes to her position on digital assets – though critics in the crypto community suggest her affiliation with the Biden administration’s regulation-friendly approach to digital finance may hurt her odds of winning over voters in the long run.
Meanwhile, a recently founded Democratic advocacy group entitled “Crypto4Harris” is picking up steam.
The left-leaning crypto collective is slated to host its first town hall Wednesday featuring a bevy of pro-Harris speakers, including billionaire Mark Cuban, former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, and several notable U.S. lawmakers.
However, with Harris taking just a slight lead over Trump, she will need to appeal to an even wider swath of voters if she wants to easily secure the election.