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Opinion
That Debate! How Crypto Reacted to Last Night's Showdown
Harris and Trump may not have mentioned crypto. But crypto folk had plenty to say about Tuesday night's presidential debate.
Updated Sep 11, 2024, 4:25 p.m. Published Sep 11, 2024, 4:22 p.m.
Last night's freewheeling presidential debate was heavy on insults, light on policy, and contained no mention of digital assets. But, if the presidential candidates were ignoring crypto, crypto wasn't ignoring the presidential candidates. Leading names were quick to weigh in on everything from body language to whether dogs were really being eaten by illegal immigrants.
Here is a sampling:
BitGo's CEO Mike Belshe:
Trump won this debate. If you care about crypto and freedom, you have to vote Trump.
— Mike Belshe (@mikebelshe) September 11, 2024
SkyBridge's Anthony Scaramucci:
She is kicking him all over the stage. He is screaming into the mike
— Anthony Scaramucci (@Scaramucci) September 11, 2024
Writer Tiffany Fong:
i’m totally voting for a criminal.
— Tiffany Fong (@TiffanyFong_) September 11, 2024
Paradigm VP of regulatory affairs Justin Slaughter:
Harris really just baited Trump into defending his rallies and pushed him off his game? Jesus, didn't think she had that game in her.
— Justin Slaughter (@JBSDC) September 11, 2024
Trump supporter Ryan Selkis, former CEO of Messari:
Taylor Swift endorsing Kamala will swing precisely zero voters.
— Ryan Selkis (d/acc) 🇺🇸 (@twobitidiot) September 11, 2024
Unmarried women are already breaking 70-30 for Kamala on vibes.
Only men can save the election for Trump. They need to get activated. https://t.co/pUJXedxAdq
Elon Musk:
Fine Taylor … you win … I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 11, 2024
Brown Rudnick's Hailey Lennon (speaking for many):
Both sides with their word salad pic.twitter.com/ybM0Lmn0Za
— Hailey Lennon (@HaileyLennonBTC) September 11, 2024
Former Republican presidential candidate, and Bitcoin "whisperer," Vivek Ramaswamy:
Key to decoding the debate tonight: actions speak louder than words. Don’t fall for the trick that Kamala’s handlers are trying out here.
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) September 11, 2024
Influencer and TV host Wendy O:
AI AND QUANTUM COMPUTING BUT NOT A MENTION OF CRYPTO
— Wendy O (@CryptoWendyO) September 11, 2024
TBH this is the best I’ve seen Harris speak
VC Mike Dudas:
abc's male moderator auditioning for kamala harris' press secretary job
— Mike Dudas (@mdudas) September 11, 2024
Selkis again:
Everyone lost this debate.
— Ryan Selkis (d/acc) 🇺🇸 (@twobitidiot) September 11, 2024
Trump is so much better on the substance, but he got pissed at the 3:1’s, egregious Kamala lies and gaslighting, and stupid shit like his rally size.
Kamala was weak and nervous in the beginning, but gained confidence throughout.
TBD on swing voters.
Galaxy CEO Mike Novogratz:
“The RNC is now meeting with JD Vance to replace Trump” — a pal😂
— Mike Novogratz (@novogratz) September 11, 2024
She smoked him.
Not sure it changes my opinion that we will go to bed election night and not know the winner. Our election will be decided in six states that are gonna be close.
Ajit Tripathi, Hadron Founders Club:
If you are a crypto founder eating cats and ducks in America, just move to Dubai and enjoy fine cuisine
— chainyoda (@chainyoda) September 11, 2024
Note: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of CoinDesk, Inc. or its owners and affiliates.
Benjamin Schiller
Ben Schiller is CoinDesk's managing editor for features and opinion. Previously, he was editor-in-chief at BREAKER Magazine and a staff writer at Fast Company. He holds some ETH, BTC and LINK.
Michelle Bloom
Michelle Bloom is CoinDesk’s Senior Social Media Editor. She works to identify opportunities within social media trends to inform CoinDesk's editorial and marketing strategy. Michelle is passionate about connecting with CoinDesk's audience and experimenting with new ways to increase the reach of CoinDesk's journalism. At Politico, Michelle helped recreate the news outlet’s visual storytelling and social media strategy. She also worked as a social media strategist for the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists’ high-profile rollout of the Pandora Papers. A member of the Knight Wallace for Journalists’ 2019 cohort at the University of Michigan and a graduate of Ohio University's Magazine Journalism program, Michelle has received two Awards for Excellence from the Society for News Design. She also volunteers with the Mount Vernon Amateur Radio Club in Alexandria, VA, and enjoys mentoring young journalists. Michelle is a member of the Online News Association, the Society for News Design and The Association of Cryptocurrency Journalists & Researchers. When she’s not scrolling through social feeds, Michelle is taking long walks with or enjoying the dog park with her three pups. An avid college football fan, you can find Michelle glued to her TV rooting on the Michigan Wolverines or her college team, the Ohio Bobcats. Michelle's crypto holdings are below CoinDesk's $1,000 disclosure threshold.
