How Trump’s Crypto Revolution Became a Revolt — What You Should Be Doing Amid Crash

Lydia Kibet

Wed, February 18, 2026 at 10:00 PM GMT+9 3 min read

In this article:

BTC-USD

-1.68%

The crypto market entered 2025 with optimism after President Trump promised to make the U.S. the crypto capital of the world. After a period of regulatory uncertainty under the previous administration, Trump’s return to office brought high expectations that clearer rules and mainstream acceptance would fuel a sustained rally.

More than a year later, major digital assets like bitcoin are trading lower than when Trump got elected for a second term. Altcoins have not been spared either. At one point, bitcoin fell to as low as about $60,000 from all-time highs of $126,000 in 2025, per CoinDesk. So what happened? Here’s how Trump’s crypto revolution became what Axios called “a revolt” and what you should be thinking about amid the current downturn.

The Political Love Affair That Curdled?

Trump’s reelection and investors’ optimism about a game-changing era for crypto created excitement, but it also led to rampant speculation. Many investors not only traded crypto. They also borrowed heavily to scoop up even more of them. That leverage magnified both the gains when crypto was skyrocketing and the losses when it began plummeting.

The crypto crash began in Oct 2025, when Trump threatened to increase tariffs on Chinese imports on top of the 30% that was already in place. That scared many investors who ended up selling risky investments, including crypto and stocks. While many other markets have recovered since then, crypto isn’t showing any signs of rebounding any time soon.

Discover Next: 3 Safest Investments To Hold In The Current Trump Economy

Read This: How Middle-Class Earners Are Quietly Becoming Millionaires — and How You Can, Too

Is This a Crash or Just Crypto Being Crypto?

Not everyone is ready to call this a crypto crash. Investing expert Dave Levine pointed out that the current market’s price action mostly reflects normal crypto swings.

“Crypto prices have underperformed sectors like gold and AI (artificial intelligence) tech, but it’s not a crypto crash,” he said. “We didn’t have the huge blow-off top, which usually precedes a crash. What we are experiencing is the usual crypto volatility over the last several years.”

What You Should Actually Be Doing Amid the Downturn

“Crypto remains a very speculative investment class with little real value. Many who have invested in bitcoin ETFs thinking it was a legitimate asset class have likely been misled,” said Vince Stanzione, founder of First Information.

His advice for most investors? “There’s no real reason to hold crypto. The argument that it’s an inflation hedge or store of value is questionable. I sleep far better at night holding gold.”

Story Continues  

And if you really want to invest in crypto, Stanzione emphasized the focus on risk management. “For those that want to speculate in the short term, then go ahead, but only with a small amount of risk capital,” he added.

Editor’s note on political coverage: GOBankingRates is nonpartisan and strives to cover all aspects of the economy objectively and present balanced reports on politically focused finance stories. You can find more coverage of this topic on GOBankingRates.com.

More From GOBankingRates

**Mark Cuban Warns 4 Key Industries Could Crumble in the Next Recession**

**How Much Groceries Cost Americans 10 Years Ago vs. Today **

**How Middle-Class Earners Are Quietly Becoming Millionaires -- and How You Can, Too **

**6 Safe Accounts Proven to Grow Your Money Up to 13x Faster **

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: How Trump’s Crypto Revolution Became a Revolt — What You Should Be Doing Amid Crash

Terms and Privacy Policy

Privacy Dashboard

More Info