V God commented on $TRUMP: Political meme coin is the perfect 'bribery tool' that may harm democracy. Politicians should stop issuing it.

Ethereum founder Vitalik expressed his views on the 'political meme coin' today, warning that large-scale political meme coins have crossed the line and may serve as 'unrestricted political bribery tools,' posing risks to democracy. He advises politicians not to go down this path. (Background: Commentary》Vitalik is anxious! Changing profile picture to Milady: Looking down on Non-fungible Tokens and MEMEs, resulting in offending users and losing the market) (Background: Wu Danru on Trump coin: Very unethical and deceptive! Meme coins are not trustworthy, I just obediently buy BTC and have already published a book) As the first US president to officially issue a meme coin, it is interesting that Trump chose Solana instead of Ethereum for the issuance of $TRUMP, which seems to imply that Ethereum, as the leading public chain, is no longer the first choice in the current situation of internal and external troubles... Vitalik: Political meme coins are unrestricted 'bribery tools' It is worth noting that Vitalik made a statement today on the X platform, expressing his views on the issuance of the 'political meme coin' by Trump, and warning that political meme coins may be 'perfect bribery tools' that pose risks to democracy. Vitalik pointed out: It is time to discuss the fact that large-scale political meme coins have crossed the line: they are not just a source of entertainment, and their harm is not limited to the mistakes made by voluntary participants. They are also unrestricted political bribery tools, including bribery from foreign countries and regimes. Vitalik: Political meme coins may harm democracy, politicians 'should not go down this path' Vitalik further pointed out that the risk of politician tokens comes from the fact that they are 'perfect bribery tools.' If a politician issues a token, you don't even need to send any coins to 'them' to give them money. Instead, you just buy and hold the token, and this passively increases the value of their holdings. Furthermore, from a financial perspective, holding these political tokens is a linear combination of donations to the issuer and gambling. Therefore, you may have intentions like making donations to the issuer, but when challenged, you can claim that your motivation is only gambling (speculation). You can even privately hold coins and show the tokens you hold to anyone you need to show them to; you don't need any zero-knowledge proofs, you just need to send test transactions. This is risky for democracy. I advise politicians not to go down this path. The risk of politician coins comes from the fact that they are such a perfect bribery vehicle. If a politician issues a coin, you do not even need to send *them* any coins to give them money. Instead, you just buy and hold the coin, and this increases the value of their holdings... — vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 23, 2025 Related reports Trump signs encryption-friendly executive order: evaluating BTC strategic reserve, banning CBDC issuance, establishing a new regulatory framework... US lawmakers accuse Trump's meme coin of being unethical and involving 'conflicts of interest,' K33: The economics of $TRUMP Token are terrible Trump's meme coin is innocent in Taiwan! FSC: 'His coin issuance is a personal act and not illegal without advertising' Vitalik saves Ethereum: Supporting ETH from an 'asset perspective' and contacting funds, institutions, and countries! <Vitalik on $TRUMP: Political meme coins are perfect 'bribery tools' that may harm democracy, politicians should stop issuing them> This article was originally published on BlockTempo, the most influential blockchain news media in the dynamic region.