Bitcoin and similar high-risk assets are becoming increasingly sensitive to statements and policy announcements made by US President Donald Trump on social media. His declarations are capable of causing swift and dramatic price moves within mere moments. This trend has sparked widespread analysis and debate across both the cryptocurrency ecosystem and traditional financial markets.
Market impact of Trump’s statements
Academics, lawmakers, and market experts are questioning whether these abrupt changes create opportunities for market manipulation or insider trading. A recent study by the University of Oxford’s Faculty of Law found that the US’s rapid shifts in tariff policies have led to extreme volatility in global markets, especially in cryptocurrencies. Sudden reversals of negative tariff decisions, often closely followed by policy U-turns, have caused sharp price drops to bounce back just as quickly.
The authors emphasize that such political maneuvers present major opportunities for investors with “advanced information.” Trump’s inconsistent and frequently changing decisions have been dubbed “TACO (Trump Again Chickens Out)” among financial professionals, who criticize the prolonged unpredictability resulting from these repeated policy reversals.
Call for investigations and growing doubts
In April 2025, Trump’s post on Truth Social reading, “A GREAT TIME TO BUY NOW!” drew attention from US lawmakers after it was quickly followed by sharp market interventions. Senator Adam Schiff and others demanded an investigation into possible manipulation or insider trading prompted by such statements.
Numerous analysts and media outlets have reported a surge in large, precisely timed trades, both in commodities and in crypto, often immediately preceding major policy or military announcements.
The CBC’s March episode of Front Burner highlighted how multiple experts are drawing attention to alleged market manipulation under the Trump administration, noting the extraordinary profits on oil contracts before announcements about conflict with Iran.
Democratic Congressman Stephen Lynch has also addressed the marked increases in trading volumes linked to pivotal statements, noting, “It is alarming when officials with access to national security information engage in insider trading and market manipulation.”
Five major Trump-driven events in Bitcoin
There is no direct evidence that Trump or his associates have violated securities laws, but the repeated, abrupt moves in the markets and growing ambiguity around political messaging have intensified scrutiny on the issue.
In recent years, Trump’s statements have triggered a series of notable Bitcoin price swings. On July 11, 2019, Bitcoin fell 7.1% in just 45 minutes after his “I don’t like Bitcoin” tweet. On March 3, 2025, after announcing a “Strategic Crypto Reserve,” Bitcoin surged 8.2% in under a day, rallying from $84,000 to over $91,000. According to CryptoAppsy, on October 10, 2025, Bitcoin hit a record high of $124,714 following news of a 100% tariff on China, but then plunged 12.4% to $102,000 within two hours, resulting in $19.38 billion in liquidations in a single day.
On March 3, 2026, after criticisms of banks in connection with the “Genius Act,” Bitcoin soared 5.2% to reach $71,000 in just 10 minutes. On April 14, 2026, following de-escalation comments on tensions in the Gulf of Oman, Bitcoin jumped from $70,000 to $75,000—a 6.2% gain in half an hour.
Most recently, after Trump declared an end to the conflict and the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on a Friday, Bitcoin broke a two-month high by climbing above $78,000. However, this gain was wiped out the next day, following new closure threats from the Iranian military and reports of attacks on commercial vessels, causing Bitcoin to retreat below $76,000.
