The long-awaited moment has arrived: President Donald Trump is back in power and has delivered his first inauguration speech. The cryptocurrency market has had a turbulent 24 hours. Bitcoin surged to $106k, seemingly poised to break new all-time highs, only to fall back below $100k before sending to new all time highs. Adding to the excitement, Melania Trump followed in her husband’s footsteps, launching her own meme coin, MELANIA.
As anticipation for the inauguration grew, Bitcoin experienced a major reversal, ultimately reaching a new all-time high. The cryptocurrency rallied 10%, topping out at $109,951. Ethereum followed suit, climbing to over $3,450—a near 10% increase from its daily low.
Speculation had been mounting that Trump might address cryptocurrency or the much-discussed Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. Polymarket, the popular prediction market platform, saw odds of Trump creating a Bitcoin reserve within his first 100 days rise to 55%, further fueling bullish sentiment across the crypto sector. With market conditions looking promising, hopes were high.
However, when Trump took the stage, he made no mention of cryptocurrency or Bitcoin. The lack of acknowledgment sent Bitcoin back down, with the price dropping back below $102k almost immediately. Polymarket’s odds for the creation of a Bitcoin Strategic Reserve fell sharply to 39%, a bearish indicator for Bitcoin’s outlook. Additionally, the highly anticipated pro-crypto executive order remains unsigned, with expectations now shifting to the early days of his administration.
While a Trump presidency is widely seen as positive for Bitcoin and crypto in general, the market's reaction to his speech has raised concerns. The sell-off, triggered by the absence of crypto-related commentary, underscores the influence Trump’s statements—or lack thereof—can have on market sentiment. If simply avoiding the topic causes such volatility, one can only imagine the impact when he eventually does address Bitcoin, whether positively or negatively. His influence could be unlike anything the market has seen before.