Author: Shelly, Nianqing, ChainCatcher
Bitcoin Magazine CEO David Bailey confirmed today that US Vice President Harris will not speak at the Bitcoin 2024 conference. Despite Harris' absence, this year's Bitcoin conference is not lacking in American politicians. The conference invited 10 American political guests, including Trump, of whom 8 are Republicans, only one is a Democrat, and one is an independent (former Democrat).
Of course, it is not surprising. On the one hand, Tennessee, where Nashville is located, is a traditional "red state" and the base of the Republican Party. Both senators from Tennessee will attend the conference. On the other hand, compared with the conservative Democrats, most Republicans are optimistic about cryptocurrencies. A recent Paradigm poll showed that 28% of Republicans hold or have purchased cryptocurrencies, which is higher than the national average. 60% of Republicans prefer Congress to clarify crypto regulations. A more intuitive data is that in May this year, the Republican Party led and promoted the passage of the FIT21 Act. The figure below more intuitively reflects the voting results of the two parties and their attitudes towards digital asset regulation. Recently, the Republican National Convention also approved Trump's new policy platform for the Republican Party, one of which is to support innovative crypto policies.
The voting results of the two parties on the FIT21 bill. Source: Bitwise
Let’s go back to the politicians who participated in the Bitcoin conference and their promotion of encryption——
- Donald Trump: Candidate for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, former 45th U.S. President, Republican, calls himself the "Crypto President". His involvement in the crypto field can be found in our previous article "Selling Trump: The Former President's Cryptocurrency Political and Business Friends and "Business Skills""
- Vivek Ganapathy participated in the Republican nomination campaign for the 2024 US presidential election. As a Republican, he announced during the campaign that he would accept Bitcoin as campaign donations. On January 15, 2024, he announced his withdrawal from the presidential primary.
- Bill Hagerty, a Republican senator from Tennessee, has criticized the Democratic Party for being too centralized and restrictive in its approach to the crypto industry.
- Marsha Blackburn, a Republican senator from Tennessee, announced she would accept cryptocurrency donations during her re-election campaign this year, praising Bitcoin's freedom and privacy.
- Cynthia Lummis is a Wyoming senator and U.S. congressman, a Republican, and a Bitcoin advocate. She has been pushing for Bitcoin-related legislation and has said that Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies will become an important part of the future economy. She also plans to announce Bitcoin strategic reserve legislation at the Bitcoin conference.
- Tim Scott, a South Carolina senator, a Republican and a member of the U.S. Senate Financial Innovation Caucus, has repeatedly called for a balanced approach to digital assets and promoted the development of a regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies.
- Bernardo Moreno is a Republican candidate for the United States Senate, a blockchain entrepreneur and cryptocurrency enthusiast.
- Sam Brown is a Republican candidate for the United States Senate and an early adopter of cryptocurrency, having invested in Bitcoin in 2017.
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is an independent candidate for the U.S. presidency. He was a Democrat in 2023 and before, and currently belongs to other independent parties. He has purchased 14 bitcoins and has made many statements in support of blockchain, bitcoin, and cryptocurrency, such as hoping to put the entire U.S. budget on the blockchain and releasing the founder of the Silk Road platform if elected president.
- Ro Khanna is the only Democrat attending the meeting. He has served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 2017. The congressman is a progressive Democrat who represents a district that includes Silicon Valley, which is friendly to cryptocurrencies. This month's highly anticipated cryptocurrency policy roundtable was hosted by Ro Khanna, who has been contacting senior figures in the digital asset industry, Democratic lawmakers and White House officials to participate in the roundtable.
PS Although crypto voters have become a "battlefield" for both parties, which is beneficial to the development of the entire industry, in the long run, the two parties need to cooperate more in promoting the development and regulation of the crypto industry, which is healthier for the entire ecosystem.
