US presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have debated a range of topics from abortion rights to the war in Ukraine, but cryptocurrencies were not among them.
Harris and Trump have clashed on key issues, often retreating into personal attacks. Today’s debate brought up a recurring theme: the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, which the former president denied calling for violence in a speech to his supporters.
On the Israeli war, Trump said there would be no conflict if he were president, and claimed that if Harris were elected president, Israel would “not exist in two years.”
Immigration was also discussed extensively. Vice President Harris said she was “the only person on the stage” who had prosecuted human traffickers and accused Trump of “destroying” bipartisan border security legislation. Meanwhile, Trump repeated his claim that immigrants eat people’s pets in Springfield, Ohio, but the moderator quoted the city manager as saying there was no evidence for this.
Cryptocurrency is still an important topic
Despite not being mentioned, cryptocurrencies have become a hotly debated issue in this election. Crypto companies have spent $119 million so far in 2024, with nearly all of that money going to the super political action committee Fairshake PAC. report Last month, consumer advocacy group Public Citizen said:
Of the two leading candidates, Trump has been seen as more industry-friendly, pledging to end the “illegal and un-American crackdown” on the U.S. cryptocurrency industry. The Republican presidential candidate has also made inroads into the industry by choosing a candidate who is crypto-friendly. JD Vance As his running mate promise to defend For Bitcoin miners.
But Harris started Reach She has spoken about the cryptocurrency industry, and sources say her team is eager to learn more about it. It’s unclear what approach Harris will take to the sector, but some in the cryptocurrency industry have criticized the current Biden administration’s approach to regulating digital assets.
Several major crypto industry players have supported Trump: Gemini co-founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss Donated He gave Trump $2 million worth of Bitcoin.
For her part, a grassroots movement called Crypto4Harris launched on August 14:Reset officially.” Another event is scheduled for Friday, where cryptocurrency executives are holding a fundraiser for Harris, and the report says they plan to raise at least $100,000. Reuters.
The chances are slim
Bettors on prediction platform Polymarket have a 17% chance of Trump mentioning cryptocurrencies on Tuesday afternoon. The betting suggests Harris has an 11% chance of mentioning cryptocurrencies. Traders expect the words “convicted criminal” and “talking” to be mentioned more often.
Event markets like Polymarket allow users to bet on the outcome of future events, such as the upcoming U.S. election or when a particular Taylor Swift album will be released. Election betting has recently drawn the ire of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which I voted As the market rapidly expands ahead of November, Democrats including Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin proposed in May to ban betting on political events. I wrote a letter to the CFTC A month ago, we urged the agency to ban contracts for political events.
Nevertheless, last week a judge Rule over Defended prediction market Calci and overturned CFTC’s order blocking Calci from listing for congressional contract trading.
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