Key Takeaways
- Larsen believes Harris will be pro-innovation, which is a net positive for crypto.
- The Ripple co-founder described SEC chairman Gary Gensler as the worst public servant in the U.S.
- Ripple has given millions in bipartisan donations for this year’s presidential and senate elections.
Ripple (XRP) co-founder Chris Larsen is throwing his finances behind U.S. Vice President and election hopeful Kamala Harris.
He believes she can remedy President Joe Biden’s “misguided war on crypto.”
Chris Larsen on Harris
Through August and September 2024, Larsen donated $10 million in cash and $1 million worth of XRP to the Harris campaign.
Speaking with CNBC on Oct. 29, he outlined why he believes in her prospective administration.
“I’m really confident that this (Harris) is gonna be a completely different approach to, I’ll just say it, the failed policy that the Biden administration brought when it came to crypto and digital assets.”
He explains that they “sort of outsourced it” to Senator Elizabeth Warren, which Larsen described as a “disaster.”
According to him, he is extremely confident the Harris administration won’t take that same approach.
Harris recently presented a pro-innovation economic message, which has seemingly boosted Larsen’s belief that she can lead crypto in the right direction.
Notably, Larsen described U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairman Gary Gensler as “[..]the worst public servant in this country.”
However, this isn’t unexpected, given the long-standing legal feud between Ripple and the SEC.
Bipartisan Approach
Notably, Ripple has been making sizeable donations across the U.S. political landscape, namely in “down-ballot” races for the House of Representatives and Congress, with some funds going toward Democrats and others to Republicans.
Larsen notes that Ripple has been a major contributor to Fairshake, a super-political action committee (PAC) that is targeting congressional races.
This is part of a broader strategy to get pro-crypto, or at least non-anti-crypto politicians, into the halls of government where policies and regulations are formed.
He notes that, yes, pro-crypto funding has leaned more toward Republican candidates, such as John Deaton.
However, Larsen believes that it’s important to have bipartisan support coming from the industry, and his donation to Harris “kind of equals that out,” just as Fairshake has equally supported pro-crypto Democrats and Republicans.
Eddie is a gaming and crypto writer at CCN. Covering the often weird and wonderful world of Web3 with an adoring, but skeptical eye.
Prior to CCN, Eddie has spent the past seven years working his way through the crypto, finance, and technology industry. He began with PR and journalism with Bitcoin PR Buzz and BitcoinNews.com, eventually working his way to become a copywriter with a dozen firms, including the likes of Polkadot before returning to journalism in 2023.
Having studied Radio production and journalism at University in the UK, Eddie spent a few years making podcasts and presenting on a local London radio station as he built up his writing chops.
A lifelong skateboarder, Eddie can often be found at the skatepark or touring the streets looking for something new to try. That, or kicking back playing JRPGs on his original PSP.
