The “Stand With Crypto” campaign launched by cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase plans to bring candidates for the 2024 United States presidential election together to discuss blockchain technology and digital assets.
According to its website as of Dec. 4, Stand With Crypto confirmed that Republican candidates Asa Hutchinson and Vivek Ramaswamy, as well as Democratic candidate Dean Phillips, will appear in person in New Hampshire on Dec. 11 to discuss issues related to digital assets. Invited candidates included former President Donald Trump, independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Republicans Doug Burgum, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Chris Christie.
“This special opportunity allows you to hear from each presidential candidate and will provide candidates with a venue to address the crypto and blockchain community in New Hampshire,” said Stand With Crypto. “The topics will not be limited to crypto-specific issues. Instead, this forum is designed to enable candidates to address the crypto and blockchain community on a range of policies in advance of the New Hampshire Primary.”
We are excited to announce the first-ever Crypto Presidential Forum!
Join us in New Hampshire to hear directly from candidates about their positions on crypto policy and a wide range of other topics. Audience members will be able to submit questions.
On Jan. 23, New Hampshire will hold one of the first primaries for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, providing what many pollsters and political pundits consider a first look at how the election may unfold in November. U.S. President Joe Biden, who was neither listed as “confirmed” nor “invited” on the event website, is expected to be the candidate for the Democratic Party. To date, Trump has also never appeared in any Republican Party debate ahead of the 2024 election.
At the time of publication, polls suggested that President Biden was most likely to face Trump in 2024, with the former president double digits ahead of DeSantis, Haley and Ramaswamy — roughly 58% to their 5%–13%. A Nov. 1 Quinnipiac poll showed Kennedy Jr. — once considered by many to be a longshot candidate for the Democratic nomination — at 22% in a three-way race against Trump and President Biden.
It’s unclear whether the Dec. 11 forum, roughly a month ahead of the primary, will shift voters’ focus to crypto. Candidates, including Kennedy Jr. and Ramaswamy, have made digital assets one of the key issues in their campaigns, but frontrunners Biden and Trump rarely speak publicly on crypto and blockchain.
In El Salvador, former President Nayib Bukele resigned from his position on Dec. 1 in order to run for office in 2024. Bukele advocated for the Central American nation to adopt Bitcoin (BTC) as legal tender and has been behind multiple buys of the cryptocurrency for the government.
US banking groups have urged Congress to close a so-called loophole letting stablecoin issuers offer yields through affiliate firms, fearing it undermines the banking system.
US and international law enforcement agencies have taken down servers and websites linked to the BlackSuit ransomware group and seized $1 million in crypto.
It says human rights in the UK “worsened” in 2024, with “credible reports of serious restrictions on freedom of expression”, as well as “crimes, violence, or threats of violence motivated by antisemitism” since the 7 October Hamas attack against Israel.
On free speech, while “generally provided” for, the report cites “specific areas of concern” around limits on “political speech deemed ‘hateful’ or ‘offensive'”.
Sir Keir Starmer has previously defended the UK’s record on free speech after concerns were raised by Mr Vance.
In response to the report, a UK government spokesperson said: “Free speech is vital for democracy around the world including here in the UK, and we are proud to uphold freedoms whilst keeping our citizens safe.”
Image: Keir Starmer and JD Vance have clashed in the past over free speech in the UK. Pics: PA
The US report highlights Britain’s public space protection orders, which allow councils to restrict certain activities in some public places to prevent antisocial behaviour.
It also references “safe access zones” around abortion clinics, which the Home Office says are designed to protect women from harassment or distress.
They have been criticised by Mr Vance before, notably back in February during a headline-grabbing speech at the Munich Security Conference.
Ministers have said the Online Safety Act is about protecting children, and repeatedly gone so far as to suggest people who are opposed to it are on the side of predators.
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The report comes months after Sir Keir bit back at Mr Vance during a summit at the White House, cutting in when Donald Trump’s VP claimed there are “infringements on free speech” in the UK.
“We’ve had free speech for a very long time, it will last a long time, and we are very proud of that,” the PM said.
But Mr Vance again raised concerns during a meeting with Foreign Secretary David Lammy at his country estate in Kent last week, saying he didn’t want the UK to go down a “very dark path” of losing free speech.
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The Trump administration itself has been accused of trying to curtail free speech and stifle criticism, most notably by targeting universities – Harvard chief among them.