The crypto
industry, which felt unfairly targeted by the Biden administration, had been
pouring resources into helping Trump’s campaign, hoping for a more favorable
stance on digital currencies. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies saw
significant growth following Trump’s victory, and the crypto community looked
forward to his support in making digital assets a more prominent part of
mainstream finance.
However,
Trump’s decision to launch meme coins—often seen as speculative and lacking
real utility—dampened enthusiasm within the community. “I was really
disappointed when I saw it,” said Tom Schmidt, a partner at crypto venture firm
Dragonfly. “It just felt like a cheap, opportunistic move.”
Meme coins,
which are often created as jokes with little inherent value, are considered by
many as one of the more volatile and unregulated segments of the crypto market.
Popular examples include Dogecoin, which has a dog as its mascot, and coins
with bizarre names like Fartcoin. These coins can surge in value temporarily
but are prone to quick price dumps, especially when driven by hype.
Some fans did
embrace Trump’s meme coin, briefly driving its price above $70, but it quickly
plummeted after Melania Trump introduced her own meme coin. As of the following
Tuesday, Trump’s meme coin had dropped to around $45, while Melania’s coin was
valued at about $4.
The meme coin
launch, which was organized by CIC Digital, a Trump Organization affiliate, was
marketed as a token of support rather than an investment opportunity. According
to the website, there are currently 200 million Trump meme coins available,
with plans to release up to 1 billion over the next three years.
Despite his
controversial move with meme coins, Trump continues to promise
industry-friendly policies, including creating a U.S. Bitcoin reserve and pushing
for regulations that make it easier for crypto companies to access financial
markets. However, some in the crypto community fear that his association with
meme coins will hurt efforts to position crypto as a legitimate and serious
financial asset.
Nic Carter, a
Trump supporter and partner at Castle Island Ventures, expressed concern,
saying, “At a time when we could be pushing for crypto deregulation, people
will now associate the industry with meme coins and view it as nothing more
than a speculative casino.”
Additionally,
other public figures, including Michigan pastor Lorenzo Sewell, have also
launched their own cryptocurrencies, further contributing to the blurring of
lines between serious digital assets and novelty coins.
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