Ripple Co-founder Endorses Harris for President
06 Sep, 2024 ● Coin news
A key figure at Ripple, the company behind the XRP cryptocurrency, has joined others in endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president.
Chris Larsen, co-founder and executive chairman of Ripple, signed a letter supporting Harris for president, as reported by CNBC on September 6.
The letter, signed by 88 corporate leaders in the United States, also includes notable figures like Aaron Levie, co-founder and CEO of Box, Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman, Snap chairman Michael Lynton, and former 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch.
Earlier in August, former Ripple board member Gene Sperling left his position at the White House to join Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign.
Sperling, who joined Ripple’s board in 2015, has served as an economic adviser to Presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and most recently President Joe Biden.
In addition to Sperling, another crypto-related adviser, David Plouffe, who previously worked with Binance and Alchemy Pay, also joined Harris’ campaign, according to Politico on August 2.
As the U.S. presidential election approaches in November, many experts expect the outcome to have a significant impact on the crypto industry.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse reportedly predicted that key crypto regulators, including U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler, will likely step down regardless of the election’s winner.
While the full effects of the election on the crypto market are still unclear, it’s evident that the crypto industry has become an important tool for presidential candidates.
On August 5, a spokesperson for Harris' campaign informed Cointelegraph that she could accept crypto donations through the Future Forward political action committee.
Former President Donald Trump has also emphasized his support for crypto, pledging to “make America the world capital of crypto and Bitcoin.”
Larsen is not the only major crypto executive backing a U.S. presidential candidate.
In June, ARK Invest CEO Cathie Wood, a long-term Bitcoin supporter, publicly endorsed Trump, stating that her vote would go to the candidate who would best support the economy.
Additionally, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, co-founders of the Gemini crypto platform, previously contributed $1 million in Bitcoin to Trump’s reelection campaign.
Sources:
https://cointelegraph.com/news/ripple-chris-larsen-endorses-kamala-harris-president
https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/06/harris-endorsed-trump-murdoch-yelp-snap-ripple.html
