Ripple Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty has pushed back forcefully against a recent Wall Street Journal editorial that labeled cryptocurrency regulation supporters as "the crypto boys," calling it a misrepresentation of the millions of Americans who now own digital assets. In his response, Alderoty shared demographic data showing that approximately 67 million Americans currently hold cryptocurrency, with about one-third of U.S. crypto owners being women. Strikingly, more holders are over the age of 55 than under 25. "They're teachers, construction workers, veterans, nurses, parents, and small business owners," Alderoty wrote.
The Wall Street Journal editorial was critical of the Senate's proposed CLARITY Act, acknowledging it would provide long-awaited regulatory certainty but arguing that certain provisions need amending. The editorial warned of loopholes that could allow crypto exchanges to offer stablecoin-related rewards resembling interest payments, and raised concerns about exemptions for some decentralized networks. The opinion piece prompted swift backlash, with Blockchain Association CEO Ji Kim describing it as containing "factual and legal inaccuracies."
Amid this debate, a separate poll conducted by Democratic research firm Normington Petts and obtained by Semafor revealed deep political skepticism towards the industry. The survey found that 84% of Democratic primary voters view crypto-backed candidates unfavorably, perceiving crypto more negatively than oil companies, Wall Street banks, or data centers.
