In a long X post on Saturday, Gemini crypto exchange co-founder Tyler Winklevoss accused the current White House Administration of unwillingness to engage with the crypto community.
Tyler wrote that in June, he and his twin Cameron were disinvited from a crypto round table in Washington that was supposed to have the White House in attendance. Their invitation was rescinded after the Winklevoss twins endorsed former President Donald Trump.
Tyler wrote:
“The Biden-Harris Administration did not want us there and refused to attend the event if we were present.”
The Winklevoss twins donated over $1 million each to Trump’s campaign, calling him the “pro-crypto choice.” The twins later received a collective refund of over $300,000 since they had exceeded the maximum amount of donation allowed by federal law.
According to Tyler:
“…it [rescinded invite] perfectly captures this Administration’s unwillingness to sincerely engage with our industry beyond paying lip service.”
He added that to engage with the industry after “waging war” against it for four years, the government should have wanted to hear from “the most vocal and critical voices,” even if their minds were made up.
Tyler decried the Administration’s behavior, calling it “petty.” He added that disinviting critics indicates “fake engagement that only serves to create a meaningless echo chamber.”
Tyler questions who is in charge at the White House
Tyler ventured to guess who decided to disinvite the former Olympic rowers. Since President Biden did not attend the event, Tyler concluded that it was doubtful he had any hand in it. He questioned who exactly was pulling the strings at the White House.
He wrote:
“So, who exactly is in charge here? … Who are these people and how can we look them in the eye and get assurances that the next 4 years will be different? I’d love to know.”
Tyler also wrote that perhaps Harris, who turned down the offer to speak at Bitcoin 2024 this weekend, may have wanted to attend the event. He guessed that “the same people who installed her a week ago would not let her.”
The problem is that “ we don’t really know” who’s in charge at the White House, Tyler stated. He added that the solution is for the government to show “real concrete action” before the elections in November. This call for action is a ‘non-partisan’ view, Tyler wrote.
The crypto industry needs to know the next SEC chair
According to Tyler, the crypto industry should be united in demanding to know who will be the next chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). And the announcement should precede the November elections.
“We need to see tangible change and a [sic] proof of commitment to treating our industry fairly and dealing with it in good faith going forward.”
Tyler ended his post saying that the industry needs to demand that both parties embrace it, treat it fairly, and ensure that “America is the best home in the world for crypto.”
