Written by Adam Tarlowski.
U.S. Congressman Tom Emmer kicked off the first-ever crypto town hall meeting yesterday, on August 20th, with a big announcement – his campaign would be the first to accept donations in the form of cryptocurrency. This move, an unprecedented one, sets the stage for a wave of similar moves in 2020 and future campaigns and is a clear sign of continued mainstream adoption.
The town hall event featured blockchain industry leaders, including Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire, BitPay CEO Stephan Pair, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, eToro Managing Director Guy Hirsch, and others.
But what was the real motive behind this meeting? Furthermore, is it practical and feasible to donate cryptocurrency to a political campaign?
Congressman Emmer’s opening remarks gave a hint at the true motive, stating, “blockchain technology isn’t going away, you risk not learning more about this movement to your own detriment.” Emmer highlighted that the intentions of his announcement were twofold: to inspire competing running mates to follow suit and to showcase the many advantages of blockchain and cryptocurrencies.
The big question in the room – whether it is practical and feasible to donate cryptocurrency to a political campaign – was answered unanimously as each special guest donated to his campaign during the broadcast. Major cryptocurrencies such as BTC, USDC, XRP, and PAX were donated by the industry leaders on the livestream while the town hall discussions took place.
While donating, each industry leader gave their take on how they can help keep the U.S. at the forefront of the innovation curve in the industry rather than falling behind. Circle CEO Jeremy Allaire said, “we are in the late 90’s era of digital currencies, we will hit broadband soon.” Ripple CEO Brad Gharlinghouse said, “our biggest challenge in the space is the lack of regulatory clarity for all coins beyond Bitcoin and Ethereum.” Congressman Emmer responded, “I have made it clear; I do not view XRP as a security. And I will push congress towards clarity for all coins.” Brad Gharlinghouse, clearly approving of Emmer’s comments, proceeded to donate XRP as a contribution.
It was impressive to watch several leaders in the space advocate for the government’s adoption of blockchain technology. The seamless donation process was further confirmation of the capabilities and potential for mainstream adoption in the future.
The Wolf Team looks forward to monitoring the progress following this meeting to see if other government officials follow suit on this trend in 2020 and beyond.