Does Harris’ “Opportunity Agenda” Have to Do with Cryptocurrency?

Author: Nikhilesh De, CoinDesk; Compiler: Baishui, Golden Finance

Vice President Kamala Harris touted her "opportunity agenda" in a campaign speech on Monday night, but did not elaborate on what that means for digital assets.

Earlier in the day, the campaign unveiled a broad agenda that included her first substantive policy stance on cryptocurrencies. But anyone hoping for more details from her speech in Erie, Pennsylvania, was disappointed.

Harris did not even mention "blockchain" or "digital assets" in passing, as she has done before, let alone cryptocurrencies.

“We will build a future that I call an opportunity economy, where everyone can compete and have a real chance to not just survive, but to succeed,” she said in her speech Monday night.

The Harris campaign said earlier in the day that the “Opportunity Agenda” is aimed at bolstering support for her among Black men.

“Vice President Harris knows that more than 20% of Black Americans own or have owned cryptocurrency assets, which is why her plan will ensure that owners and investors in digital assets benefit from a regulatory framework that protects Black men and others who participate in this market,” a press release said.

The attached document echoed that message.

“Vice President Harris appreciates the ways in which new technologies can expand access to banking and financial services,” the document reads, before repeating the press release’s statement about the framework.

In contrast to Harris’ silence on the topic, former President Donald Trump made numerous overtures to the cryptocurrency industry, promising friendly regulators and saying he would appoint a “Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency Advisory Council” at industry conference Bitcoin Nashville.

Last month, Trump visited New York City’s bitcoin bar PubKey and purchased a burger with bitcoin with the help of bar staff.

Crypto industry players have commissioned a number of polls to gauge voter interest in the industry. The Harris Poll, funded by crypto asset manager Grayscale (no relation to the vice president), showed that 77% of potential voters want candidates to learn about cryptocurrencies, and 21% of respondents hold at least some cryptocurrencies.