Harris-Trump Debate: Trump’s Polymarket Odds Fall 3%

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump engaged in their first-ever debate on Tuesday, September 11, in Philadelphia. However, the topic of cryptocurrency was not touched upon.

The debate focused on key issues such as the economy, abortion rights, immigration, and foreign policy. The debate showcased a composed Harris repeatedly challenging Trump, who at times appeared visibly agitated and responded with a series of contested claims.

Throughout the debate, Trump's chances of securing an election victory dipped by as much as three percentage points, settling at 49% on decentralized prediction markets Polymarket. This decline means the two presidential candidates are on equal standing for the first time on the platform.

This comes as the crypto industry has contributed significant amounts in political funding. Three crypto-backed super political action committees (PACs) have raised over $202 million from major industry backers, with $93.6 million already spent to influence the 2024 elections.

Despite the lack of attention during the debate, cryptocurrency's potential impact on the election outcome remains a topic of interest for market analysts. Bernstein analysts recently predicted that a Trump win could push Bitcoin as high as $90,000 by year-end, while a Harris victory might see it fall to $30,000.

The debate's outcomes appear to have brought betting market odds more in line with national polling data. According to a recent FiveThirtyEight poll, Harris currently leads Trump by 2.7 percentage points (47.1% to 44.9%). Meanwhile, Bitcoin (BTC) fell over 2% since the debate started, and is trading back below $57,000.