加密貨幣是爭奪年輕選民的新武器

比特幣和其他數位貨幣對年輕人來說很重要，拜登和川普的競選團隊正在註意到這一點。

Bitcoin, Ethereum, Binance Coin, Tether, Solana — however you count them, they’re the coin of the realm for the campaigns of President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

比特幣、以太坊、幣安幣、Tether、Solana——無論你怎麼計算它們，它們都是喬·拜登總統和前總統唐納德·川普競選領域的代幣。

That may be a big deal in this election year. There is no doubt this historic contest will be close, and both sides believe the wrong outcome could have cataclysmic results.

這在這個選舉年可能是一件大事。毫無疑問，這場歷史性的較量將會勢均力敵，雙方都認為錯誤的結果可能會帶來災難性的結果。

So how does an octogenarian and a 77-year-old connect with young voters and give themselves the edge? By tapping into the thoughts and dreams of young voters and addressing their issues.

那麼，一位八十多歲的老人和一位七十七歲的老人如何與年輕選民建立聯繫並為自己帶來優勢呢？透過挖掘年輕選民的想法和夢想並解決他們的問題。

Cryptocurrency is a big one, but it’s thorny territory. The Biden administration has slow-walked crypto regulation for years. Officials cannot decide which federal agency should regulate the digital currency. So far, a few prosecutions and minor reforms have been the order of the day. There is much disagreement on how to address regulation, making it hard to build consensus.

加密貨幣是一個很大的領域，但它也是一個棘手的領域。拜登政府多年來在加密貨幣監管方面進展緩慢。官員無法決定哪個聯邦機構應該監管數位貨幣。到目前為止，一些起訴和小規模改革已經成為慣例。對於如何解決監管問題存在很大分歧，因此很難達成共識。

Meanwhile, crypto continues to burgeon, with most of the growth coming overseas and outside the purview of American regulators. Yet American speculators and investors are piling onto crypto. As of last week, the price of bitcoin had skyrocketed to $68,316.64 per coin, a 143.8% increase from a year ago.

同時，加密貨幣持續蓬勃發展，大部分成長來自海外且超出了美國監管機構的職權範圍。然而，美國投機者和投資者正在紛紛湧入加密貨幣領域。截至上週，比特幣價格已飆升至每枚 68,316.64 美元，較去年同期上漲 143.8%。

Everyone would agree that there should be safeguards for trading in bitcoin and that investor funds should be monitored and protected. Bitcoin will help fuel the next generation of American investors and their wealth.

每個人都會同意，比特幣交易應該有保障措施，投資者的資金應該受到監控和保護。比特幣將有助於推動下一代美國投資者及其財富。

Nearly 20% of Americans say they have bought crypto, according to a recent online poll of 1,000 registered voters. That includes 19% of self-identified Democrats and 18% of Republicans, according to the survey, conducted for the crypto investment firm Paradigm by Public Opinion Strategies from Feb. 28 to March 4.

最近一項針對 1,000 名註冊選民的線上民調顯示，近 20% 的美國人表示他們購買了加密貨幣。根據 Public Opinion Strategies 於 2 月 28 日至 3 月 4 日為加密貨幣投資公司 Paradigm 進行的調查，其中包括 19% 的自稱民主黨人和 18% 的共和黨人。

Ownership of cryptocurrency is even higher among younger voters. For example, 41% of men ages 18 to 34 said they have bought crypto. The kids love it. The presidential race may turn on it.

年輕選民中加密貨幣的擁有率甚至更高。例如，18 至 34 歲的男性中有 41% 表示他們曾購買加密貨幣。孩子們喜歡它。總統競選可能會開啟這一點。

Young voters could make the difference. The Biden campaign has been reaching out to them for months, on issues such as student debt relief and reproductive choice.

年輕選民可以發揮重要作用。幾個月來，拜登競選團隊一直在就學生債務減免和生育選擇等問題與他們接觸。

Biden has deployed a massive social media strategy inside the White House and on the campaign trail. The messaging may not be working. Trump is gaining ground on Biden’s edge among young voters, a Harvard Youth Poll released last month shows.

拜登在白宮內部和競選過程中部署了大規模的社群媒體策略。訊息傳遞可能不起作用。上個月發布的哈佛青年民調顯示，川普在年輕選民中的優勢正在逐漸擴大。

Among people ages 18 to 29, Biden leads Trump 45% to 37% (16% said they were undecided). That’s an 8 percentage-point margin, compared with where young voters stood at this time in the 2020 presidential campaign, when Biden was beating Trump by 23 percentage points.

在 18 歲至 29 歲的人群中，拜登以 45% 比 37% 領先川普（16% 表示尚未決定）。與 2020 年總統競選期間年輕選民的差距相比，這一差距為 8 個百分點，當時拜登以 23 個百分點的優勢擊敗川普。

Biden needs to lean in on crypto. Young people have been the earliest and most eager adopters of the alternative currency. Polls show that young voters are worried about the economy and their financial futures. They see crypto as the golden opportunity to get ahead.

拜登需要依靠加密貨幣。年輕人是替代貨幣最早、最熱切的採用者。民調顯示，年輕選民對經濟及其財務未來感到擔憂。他們將加密貨幣視為成功的黃金機會。

Trump has a head start. “Crypto is Trump’s new weapon against Biden,” declared a recent headline in Politico. “It’s the first time crypto has become an issue in the general election of a presidential race.”

川普有先機。 「加密貨幣是川普對抗拜登的新武器，」Politico 最近的頭條新聞宣稱。 “這是加密貨幣第一次成為總統大選的一個問題。”

Trump is all in on the currency and is even producing his own “fungible token, or NFT,” a form of digital currency, Politico noted last month.

Politico 上個月指出，川普全力投資這種貨幣，甚至正在生產自己的“可替代代幣，即 NFT”，這是一種數位貨幣。

Trump touted his embrace of the currency at a May 8 gathering of crypto supporters at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. He attacked the Biden administration for its push to regulate the crypto industry and demanded that crypto advocates had “better vote” for him, because, he exhorted, “They are against it.”

5 月 8 日，川普在佛羅裡達州海湖莊園舉行的加密貨幣支持者聚會上宣揚了他對加密貨幣的支持。他攻擊拜登政府推動加密貨幣行業監管，並要求加密貨幣倡導者為他投“更好的票”，因為他勸說，“他們反對它”。

“The GOP has become increasingly friendly toward bitcoin and other digital assets in recent years, while key Democrats remain at odds over whether to grant the industry legitimacy after a series of scandals,” Politico reported.

據《Politico》報道，“近年來，共和黨對比特幣和其他數位資產變得越來越友好，而民主黨關鍵人物在一系列醜聞發生後，對於是否授予該行業合法性仍存在分歧。”

Trump’s cheerleading is getting noticed. The former president is even cozying up to Elon Musk, the crypto aficionado billionaire. Musk is popular with the youths. It’s a strategy designed to subtract young voters from the Democratic column.

川普的啦啦隊正在受到關注。這位前總統甚至還討好加密貨幣愛好者億萬富翁伊隆馬斯克(Elon Musk)。馬斯克很受年輕人歡迎。這是一項旨在從民主黨陣營中剔除年輕選民的策略。

“President Trump’s remarks signal a sea change in the importance of digital assets this election cycle,” Kristin Smith, CEO of the Blockchain Association, a top crypto industry lobbying group, told Politico.

頂級加密行業遊說團體區塊鏈協會首席執行官克里斯汀·史密斯 (Kristin Smith) 告訴 Politico，“特朗普總統的言論標誌著本次選舉週期數字資產的重要性發生了巨大變化。”

When it comes to courting young voters, Biden and the Democrats can’t afford to let that opportunity wash away.Laura Washington is a political commentator and longtime Chicago journalist. This article was published in the Chicago Tribune and distributed by Tribune Content Agency.

在爭取年輕選民方面，拜登和民主黨不能讓這個機會消失。本文發表在《芝加哥論壇報》上，並由論壇報內容機構發行。