Unofficial Barron Trump memecoin rose to $460 million market cap before crashing 95%

Bitcoin has surged to a new all-time high of $109,558 during early Asian trading hours, aligning with President Donald Trump’s inauguration day. Market observers point to the heightened possibility that Trump might establish a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR) through an executive order—one of possibly 100 he could sign immediately upon taking office.

Is A Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Coming?

Talk of a US Bitcoin reserve under Trump has circulated for months, but speculation intensified when Polymarket, a crypto-based prediction platform, showed a sudden spike in the odds of such a reserve forming within Trump’s first 100 days. The odds, which hit 59%, quickly preceded Bitcoin’s pump to its fresh peak.

In the past, Trump campaigned on potentially transferring all seized BTC by law enforcement into a government-held reserve. Although there has been no official confirmation, rumors that a formal order could be signed “as early as Inauguration Day” ignited price momentum.

Notably, several influential Bitcoin advocates met with the incoming administration over the past weekend, fueling SBR speculation. Senator John Barrasso wrote via X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday: “Senator Lummis and I had a great time talking with President Donald Trump this morning. Wyoming is ready for Inauguration Day tomorrow!”

Senator Cynthia Lummis, known for her pro-Bitcoin stance, reinforced the chatter around a government-led BTC initiative. In a Jan. 17 post on X, she stated: “Working hard to get the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and comprehensive digital asset legislation across the finish line. Thanks for stopping by @jespow, @arjunsethi, @DavidLRipley !”

Lummis’ own legislative proposal, dubbed the “Bitcoin Bill,” famously proposes to purchase 1 million Bitcoin. MicroStrategy Chairman Michael Saylor also attended meetings with the Trump administration’s cabinet. He shared a photo on X of himself alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Jared Kushner, captioned: “The Future is ₿right”

Meanwhile, Eric Trump posted a picture with Saylor and “Crypto Czar” David Sacks, commenting: “To the moon! #Bitcoin @WorldLibertyFi @saylor @DavidSacks”

Further underscoring the White House’s apparent openness to Bitcoin, Fred Thiel, Chairman and CEO of MARA Holdings (NASDAQ:MARA)—one of America’s largest Bitcoin mining companies—was reportedly seated with the incoming US Secretary of Defense at the Vice President’s reception on Saturday night.

MacroScope (@MacroScope17), a prominent market analyst, noted on X: “Keep in mind that the reports and photos we’re seeing of Trump and his incoming cabinet engaging with BTC advocates (Scott Bessent at the crypto ball etc) are just the tip of what’s happening. Expecting lots of headlines to hit in coming days, weeks and months. Unique situation in the history of financial markets.”

David Bailey, CEO of BTC Inc, who played a notable role in encouraging then-candidate Trump’s pro-Bitcoin platform, referred to Trump’s recent foray into a personal memecoin TRUMP as “not my cup of tea,” but emphasized gratitude for Trump’s pro-Bitcoin stance via X today.

“I will continue to do whatever I can to support the President and his family’s embrace of Bitcoin and provide honest counsel when called upon. America will be a Bitcoin and Crypto Superpower and the winning has only just begun.” When a user asked Bailey if certain major crypto-friendly actions—such as freeing Ross Ulbricht, confirming a stockpile by executive order, and co-sponsoring Sen. Lummis’ SBR bill—would make up for the TRUMP memecoin controversy, Bailey responded: “all those things will happen and more”

Charles Edwards, CEO of Capriole Investments, observed that Bitcoin’s rapid move lower followed by a swift rebound to new highs could indicate further gains. “Trust the second move,” Edwards remarked, emphasizing that “when markets move aggressively in one direction, and reverse it all shortly after, the second move has a higher probability of being the real move that sets the new trend.”

He added that after “a good old fashioned short squeeze,” investors realized the “overwhelming positivity” of the rumored developments—ranging from “higher odds of a BSR” to “the onboarding of the MAGA army into crypto.” Still, Edwards acknowledged that “anything can happen” in such a volatile market environment.

At press time, BTC traded at $108,182.

The crypto craze is sweeping the general public as observers said President-elect Donald Trump's decision to debut a memecoin has flipped the Overton window, bringing digital assets to the mainstream.

Google Trends, a widely used tool to gauge general or retail interest in trending topics, is currently returning a value of 100 for the worldwide search query "how to buy crypto." The final figure for the week will be confirmed Saturday.

A score of 100 represents peak popularity – the maximum number of searches observed for the query during a given time frame, in this case, five years. It's a sign that more and more people are scanning the web for information on how to take exposure to cryptocurrencies.

Google Trends provides access to a primarily unfiltered sample of search requests made to Google and scales their searches on a range of 0 to 100, according to the company. The search value represents the search interest relative to the highest point on the chart for the selected region and time.

Note that the spike in search queries does not necessarily promise an actual increase in the buying pressure, as investors often don't act.

That said, a value of 100 for the search query "how to buy crypto" shows that retail investors are eager to enter the market.

The excitement is understandable, as Donald Trump, the incoming President of the U.S., is expected to create a strategic bitcoin reserve, just like the oil reserve, while declaring crypto as a national policy priority. Trump could hint at these plans during his speech later Monday if rumors are to be believed.

Over the weekend, Trump and his wife Melania launched their respective memecoins, TRUMP and MELANIA, which quickly zoomed to several billion dollars in market capitalization.

According to some analysts, Trump's decision to debut his memecoin has flipped the "Overton widow," meaning what was once considered a fringe, has now entered the mainstream.

"If everything is now legal[1], many startups will try raising funds by issuing tokens as explicit crypto equity. As a context, the SEC distorted the market for the last decade by forcing founders to obscure the obvious analogy between tokens and equity. But there is nothing *morally* wrong with moving equity from spreadsheets and NASDAQs to blockchains," Balaji Srinivasan, the former CTO of Coinbase, said on X.

The Overton Window is a theory for understanding how societal ideas change over time and influence politics. It represents the range of subjects and arguments politically acceptable to the mainstream population at a given time.

Pseudonymous analyst Trevor.btc said that Trump's memecoin move has set the stage for crypto deregulation in the U.S.

"The $TRUMP memecoin just ripped the bandaid off and shifted the Overton Window for crypto deregulation in the US. Now's the time to look towards areas of crypto hampered by regulation and shoot first, ask questions later," Trevor said on X.

READ MORE: Bitcoin Surges to $109K, Hits Record High Ahead of Donald Trump's Inauguration

In a recent tweet, Ripple CTO David Schwartz has shared his perspective on "rug pulls" in the cryptocurrency space. Schwartz's recent insights aim to clarify what constitutes a rug pull, a type of crypto scam.

Schwartz began by sharing this observation: "I see a lot of people using the term 'rug' in contexts where I wouldn't use the term." He then explained his understanding of what defines a rug pull.

The Ripple CTO explained that a rug pull occurs when the founders, developers or major players in a token or project sell large amounts or sell more quickly than people were reasonably led to expect. This sudden sell-off may result in a sharp decrease in the token's value, leaving investors with a loss.

Another form of rug pull, according to Schwartz, is when founders or developers show dramatically less commitment to a project, effectively abandoning it long before delivering the promised outcomes. This lack of follow-through can leave investors with worthless tokens and shattered expectations.

Rug pulls have become a major worry in the cryptocurrency space, as they can lead to substantial financial losses for investors.

Meme coin mania

The Ripple CTO's insights coincide with recent events on the cryptocurrency market, with new meme tokens surfacing since Friday.

The weekend saw newly launched digital tokens rattle the crypto markets, posting major gains before declining sharply. Meme coins are a type of cryptocurrency with uncertain inherent value and high volatility that rely on social media tailwinds to push their prices.

Cryptocurrencies rose during the early Monday trading session in response to the meme coin mania, with investors turning their focus to smaller, higher-risk coins.

Bitcoin and a handful of other cryptocurrencies saw substantial gains, with Bitcoin reaching a new record high of $109,358.

XRP reached new highs of $3.40 last Thursday, bolstered by expectations of an ETF and the possibility that Ripple's years-long fight with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission might soon reach a favorable conclusion.

Solana price hit a new all-time high of 0.00936 against Ether on Jan. 19 before retracing the current level of 0.0769.

SOL’s impressive performance in recent days can be attributed to the memecoin associated with incoming US President Donald Trump, Official TRUMP ($TRUMP), which has boosted interest in Solana, leading to a surge in both its price and trading volume.

Moreover, the Solana network's total value locked (TVL) crossed the $10 billion mark for the first time since November 2022 and reached a new all-time high of over $12 billion.

Michael Saylor, MicroStrategy’s executive chairman and former CEO who helped to found the company, has published a tweet as if to celebrate the new historic price mark reached by Bitcoin.

Unlike his other recent tweets, where Saylor published AI-generated images of himself, this time, he has posted an actual photo with other influential people, accompanying it with a slogan: “The future is Bright.” The “B” in the last word has vertical strokes as in a Bitcoin logo.

The influential people who are in the photo with Saylor are the politician Robert Kennedy Jr. and Jared Kushner. Together with them stands Kennedy’s wife, actress Cheryl Hines.

Bitcoin sets new price record

Earlier today, the world’s leading cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, stunned the crypto market as it surged to a new all-time high above the $109,000 level. This tremendous price spike happened despite a massive liquidation as a whopping $1.2 billion worth of crypto assets were wiped off the market.

The previous all-time high, above $108,000, was reached on Dec. 16.

The price surge happened as the market anticipated the inauguration of newly elected U.S. pro-crypto President Donald Trump. During his campaign, he accepted donations in various cryptocurrencies, not only in Bitcoin and Ethereum but also in numerous altcoins, including meme tokens. He also promised to create a national Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, as well as favor adequate cryptocurrency regulation in order to maintain U.S. leadership in financial and tech markets around the world.

Bitcoin to $1 million — Samson Mow, Michael Saylor

In accordance with his own prophecies, another vocal Bitcoiner, Samson Mow, the JAN3 CEO, tweeted today that he has spotted a “God Candle,” which took BTC above the $109,000 price line.

Overall, Mow expects that eventually Bitcoin will imminently reach $1 million per coin. Saylor shares his beliefs. What is more, he stated several times that 10 years from now, BTC will be worth a staggering $12 million per unit as, by then, it will have taken away part of gold’s market share.

As reported by U.Today earlier, as Trump’s inauguration drew closer, the probability of creating the Bitcoin Reserve for the U.S. surged to over 70%, according to data from the betting service Kalshi.

As Ethereum community members call for the Ethereum Foundation to stake its Ether and earn interest to cover the organization’s expenses instead of selling its tokens, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin said the foundation is exploring ways to minimize its staking concerns.

On Jan. 20, Josh Stark, who works at the Ethereum Foundation, explained that the organization uses the Ethereum mainnet to swap Ether for stablecoins and to pay people with stablecoins and ETH, both on the mainnet and on layer-2 blockchains.