Malcolm DeGods, better known on social media as the “guy in the goggles,” asked presidential candidate Donald Trump a single question at an NFT event at Mar-a-Lago earlier this month — and has since been credited with triggering a crypto revolution in Washington.
We caught up with Malcolm about what he thought of his small part in crypto history and the story behind those gaudy sunglasses.
1. Tyler Winklevoss recently tweeted the “guy in the goggles completely reversed crypto’s fortunes in Washington.” How do you feel about that?
I think that there have been a lot of very smart people — whether it’s Brian Armstrong and Paul Grewal or the Blockchain Association — who have been on the Hill dedicating their lives to crypto regulation and making the U.S. a safe haven or at least somewhere where crypto teams can operate.
While I do feel like my question played a little part in this and voiced a lot of concerns of the everyday crypto person, I’m very cognizant of the fact that it was not my question alone that is helping turn the tide of battle for favorable regulation in the United States.
2. Some say it was actually the handshake between Donald Trump and Messari CEO Ryan Selkis that did it. What do you think?
It’s an amalgamation of things. You have the Blockchain Association and their work. I saw that Balaji credited Ryan Selkis’ ‘$1-trillion handshake,’ and my question also played a small role. I think there’s been a long fight, to be honest.
All the crypto execs in America, they spend their time in Washington, D.C.; they’ve been doing this for years. So, of course, you can try to pinpoint one moment or one handshake or one question as the turning point.
But in reality, in the longer arc of history, this has been a fight that’s taken some time. So, I don’t feel territorial at all about Ryan Selkis or [the] Blockchain Association poll. I’m just trying to…
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