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Democratic strategist David Plouffe was pictured at Fox Business Network Studios on March 4, 2020 in New York City.
(Photo: John Lamparski/Getty Images)
'Why Are People Cynical About Politics'? Ex-Obama Adviser Joins Pro-Trump Crypto Giant Coinbase
"Democratic campaigns need to start treating corporate shills like Plouffe as persona non grata," argued one progressive.
Jun 12, 2025
A long-time Democratic strategist who managed Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and advised Kamala Harris' 2024 White House bid announced Thursday that he is joining the global advisory council of the crypto exchange giant Coinbase, which donated $1 million to President Donald Trump's inaugural fund and recently benefited from his administration's decision to drop a major lawsuit against the company.
David Plouffe "has worked extensively in tech," including at Uber and the crypto exchange Binance, Politicoreported Thursday, noting that he arrives at Coinbase "a few months after the advisory council added former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona—a Democrat turned independent—and Chris LaCivita, who served as Trump's co-campaign manager in 2024."
"Among Plouffe's charges will be outreach to tech-savvy voters who flocked to Democrats during the Obama era, but have shifted to the right in recent years," Politico reported. "It's another move meant to reinforce the bipartisan credentials of the largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange as it pushes for broader buy-in after Republicans and President Donald Trump opened their arms to the industry and many of its policy goals."
"There is a crypto-skeptical anti-corruption wing of the Democratic Party and a crypto-embracing, corruption is business as usual wing."
Progressives argued that Plouffe's decision to take on a role at Coinbase underscores the toxicity of the revolving door between the political consultant class and corporate America, particularly the tech sector.
"Democratic campaigns need to start treating corporate shills like Plouffe as persona non grata," argued Jonathan Cohn, political director of Progressive Mass. "They weaken campaign messaging, erode public trust, and only view campaigns as grift exercises."
Jeff Hauser, founder and executive director of the Revolving Door Project, asked, "Doesn't this put a fine point on which wing of the Democratic Party lost to Trump?"
"There is a crypto-skeptical anti-corruption wing of the Democratic Party and a crypto-embracing, corruption is business as usual wing," Hauser wrote on social media.
Matt Duss, executive vice president of the Center for International Policy and a former adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), responded rhetorically to the news of Plouffe joining Coinbase, writing, "Why are people cynical about politics."
Coinbase gushed in a statement that the addition of Plouffe to its advisory council "comes at a moment of historic momentum for the crypto industry," which spent big on the 2024 election and continues to lobby the federal government aggressively for favorable regulatory policy.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has voiced support for the so-called GENIUS Act, crypto legislation that critics say is riddled with industry-friendly loopholes. With bipartisan support, the Senate voted Wednesday to advance a revised version of the bill.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), an outspoken opponent of the legislation, said in floor remarks on Wednesday that "industry is the driving force behind the GENIUS Act," legislation that could deliver a personal financial windfall for Trump and his family.
"Through his crypto businesses, President Trump has created an efficient means to trade presidential favors like tariff exemptions, pardons, and government appointments for hundreds of millions—perhaps billions—of dollars from foreign governments, from billionaires, and from large corporations," said Warren. "This is the single greatest corruption scandal in American history and, by passing the GENIUS Act, the Senate is about to not only bless this corruption, but to actively facilitate its expansion."
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A long-time Democratic strategist who managed Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and advised Kamala Harris' 2024 White House bid announced Thursday that he is joining the global advisory council of the crypto exchange giant Coinbase, which donated $1 million to President Donald Trump's inaugural fund and recently benefited from his administration's decision to drop a major lawsuit against the company.
David Plouffe "has worked extensively in tech," including at Uber and the crypto exchange Binance, Politicoreported Thursday, noting that he arrives at Coinbase "a few months after the advisory council added former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona—a Democrat turned independent—and Chris LaCivita, who served as Trump's co-campaign manager in 2024."
"Among Plouffe's charges will be outreach to tech-savvy voters who flocked to Democrats during the Obama era, but have shifted to the right in recent years," Politico reported. "It's another move meant to reinforce the bipartisan credentials of the largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange as it pushes for broader buy-in after Republicans and President Donald Trump opened their arms to the industry and many of its policy goals."
"There is a crypto-skeptical anti-corruption wing of the Democratic Party and a crypto-embracing, corruption is business as usual wing."
Progressives argued that Plouffe's decision to take on a role at Coinbase underscores the toxicity of the revolving door between the political consultant class and corporate America, particularly the tech sector.
"Democratic campaigns need to start treating corporate shills like Plouffe as persona non grata," argued Jonathan Cohn, political director of Progressive Mass. "They weaken campaign messaging, erode public trust, and only view campaigns as grift exercises."
Jeff Hauser, founder and executive director of the Revolving Door Project, asked, "Doesn't this put a fine point on which wing of the Democratic Party lost to Trump?"
"There is a crypto-skeptical anti-corruption wing of the Democratic Party and a crypto-embracing, corruption is business as usual wing," Hauser wrote on social media.
Matt Duss, executive vice president of the Center for International Policy and a former adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), responded rhetorically to the news of Plouffe joining Coinbase, writing, "Why are people cynical about politics."
Coinbase gushed in a statement that the addition of Plouffe to its advisory council "comes at a moment of historic momentum for the crypto industry," which spent big on the 2024 election and continues to lobby the federal government aggressively for favorable regulatory policy.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has voiced support for the so-called GENIUS Act, crypto legislation that critics say is riddled with industry-friendly loopholes. With bipartisan support, the Senate voted Wednesday to advance a revised version of the bill.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), an outspoken opponent of the legislation, said in floor remarks on Wednesday that "industry is the driving force behind the GENIUS Act," legislation that could deliver a personal financial windfall for Trump and his family.
"Through his crypto businesses, President Trump has created an efficient means to trade presidential favors like tariff exemptions, pardons, and government appointments for hundreds of millions—perhaps billions—of dollars from foreign governments, from billionaires, and from large corporations," said Warren. "This is the single greatest corruption scandal in American history and, by passing the GENIUS Act, the Senate is about to not only bless this corruption, but to actively facilitate its expansion."
A long-time Democratic strategist who managed Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign and advised Kamala Harris' 2024 White House bid announced Thursday that he is joining the global advisory council of the crypto exchange giant Coinbase, which donated $1 million to President Donald Trump's inaugural fund and recently benefited from his administration's decision to drop a major lawsuit against the company.
David Plouffe "has worked extensively in tech," including at Uber and the crypto exchange Binance, Politicoreported Thursday, noting that he arrives at Coinbase "a few months after the advisory council added former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona—a Democrat turned independent—and Chris LaCivita, who served as Trump's co-campaign manager in 2024."
"Among Plouffe's charges will be outreach to tech-savvy voters who flocked to Democrats during the Obama era, but have shifted to the right in recent years," Politico reported. "It's another move meant to reinforce the bipartisan credentials of the largest U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchange as it pushes for broader buy-in after Republicans and President Donald Trump opened their arms to the industry and many of its policy goals."
"There is a crypto-skeptical anti-corruption wing of the Democratic Party and a crypto-embracing, corruption is business as usual wing."
Progressives argued that Plouffe's decision to take on a role at Coinbase underscores the toxicity of the revolving door between the political consultant class and corporate America, particularly the tech sector.
"Democratic campaigns need to start treating corporate shills like Plouffe as persona non grata," argued Jonathan Cohn, political director of Progressive Mass. "They weaken campaign messaging, erode public trust, and only view campaigns as grift exercises."
Jeff Hauser, founder and executive director of the Revolving Door Project, asked, "Doesn't this put a fine point on which wing of the Democratic Party lost to Trump?"
"There is a crypto-skeptical anti-corruption wing of the Democratic Party and a crypto-embracing, corruption is business as usual wing," Hauser wrote on social media.
Matt Duss, executive vice president of the Center for International Policy and a former adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), responded rhetorically to the news of Plouffe joining Coinbase, writing, "Why are people cynical about politics."
Coinbase gushed in a statement that the addition of Plouffe to its advisory council "comes at a moment of historic momentum for the crypto industry," which spent big on the 2024 election and continues to lobby the federal government aggressively for favorable regulatory policy.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has voiced support for the so-called GENIUS Act, crypto legislation that critics say is riddled with industry-friendly loopholes. With bipartisan support, the Senate voted Wednesday to advance a revised version of the bill.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), an outspoken opponent of the legislation, said in floor remarks on Wednesday that "industry is the driving force behind the GENIUS Act," legislation that could deliver a personal financial windfall for Trump and his family.
"Through his crypto businesses, President Trump has created an efficient means to trade presidential favors like tariff exemptions, pardons, and government appointments for hundreds of millions—perhaps billions—of dollars from foreign governments, from billionaires, and from large corporations," said Warren. "This is the single greatest corruption scandal in American history and, by passing the GENIUS Act, the Senate is about to not only bless this corruption, but to actively facilitate its expansion."
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