In an attempt to “reset” Vice President Kamala Harris’ relationship with the crypto sector, the “Crypto For Harris” campaign convened a virtual town hall meeting featuring a litany of Democratic heavyweights and tech influencers. Despite these efforts, the event, which was designed to articulate and promote a potential Harris-led “crypto reset,” largely missed the mark in garnering industry support, according to a report from FOX Business.

The nearly 90-minute virtual conference was attended by top Democratic figures, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York), Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York), along with California Congressman Adam Schiff. Mark Cuban, a well-known pro-crypto tech entrepreneur, was also in attendance. Notably absent, however, was Vice President Harris himself, a hiatus that did not go unnoticed by attendees.

Crypto industry doesn’t believe in the ‘reset’

More than 1,000 people reportedly streamed the event live, but feedback from X paints a picture of dissatisfaction. Reactions focused primarily on Harris’ lack of direct communication about her crypto stances and policies.

Senate Majority Leader Schumer attempted to bridge this gap by advocating for balanced legislation. He emphasized the importance of encouraging innovation and instituting “common sense protections.” Schumer warned of the risks of inaction, suggesting that the lack of U.S. regulation could push the industry to move to countries with even less oversight. His comments were well-intentioned, but they didn’t seem to assuage attendees’ concerns about the broader Democratic stance on crypto.

Feedback from industry insiders revealed a mix of disappointment and unmet expectations. “I was hoping to hear about Harris’ crypto policy and for the Democrats to outline how they’re going to solve the issue of debanking companies,” said Caitlin Long, CEO of Custodia Bank, highlighting a key issue in the industry that Democrats continue to raise.

Jake Brukhman, founder and CEO of investment firm CoinFund, criticized the format of the event, which he said did not facilitate the genuine exchange of views that one would expect from a town hall. “I thought a town hall was supposed to be about hearing from people, you know, people in the city. Instead, we got a bunch of lectures about the participants’ views on crypto and where it should go politically,” he noted.

The event’s effectiveness paled in comparison to the efforts of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has openly indicated that he wants to introduce a lighter regulatory framework for the industry.

Tyler Winklevoss expressed his displeasure with the layout of the chamber and Harris’ absence, tweeting, “Pre-recorded videos. Readings from scripts. Harris didn’t show up to her own event. What a clown show,” signaling a deep discontent that could affect industry support for Republican candidates.

David Bailey, CEO of Bitcoin Magazine and organizer of the Bitcoin conference, wrote via X: “Every day that Kamala Harris ignores public scrutiny and her donors regarding her crypto policy ‘reset’, she is sending the loudest message possible short of a press release: She plans to fuck us.”

At the time of writing, BTC was trading at $58,460.

Main image from The Times Of Israel, chart from TradingView.com