Why Bitcoin Remains Unfazed Despite Trump’s Surprise 15% Tariff Bombshell

▲ Trump, tariffs, Bitcoin/ChatGPT-generated image ©

Despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s surprise declaration of sweeping global tariff hikes, leading cryptocurrencies are holding firm with strong downside support. This resilience contrasts sharply with the heavy turbulence seen during past trade wars.

According to DL News on February 22 (local time), Bitcoin (BTC) remained steady even after President Trump abruptly announced an increase in temporary tariffs on nearly all imports from 10% to 15%. Based on CoinGecko data, Bitcoin was trading at $68,273 around noon in New York, up nearly 2% from 24 hours earlier, while Ethereum (ETH) also rose 2% to $1,987.

The tariff hike announcement came just hours after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the existing reciprocal tariff policy unlawful. Through social media, President Trump described the move as retaliation against countries that had exploited the United States for decades and signaled immediate implementation. Earlier, following the Supreme Court’s ruling, Bitcoin had posted only a modest gain, reflecting a cautious market stance.

In the past, the cryptocurrency market reacted with extreme sensitivity to trade policy announcements from the Trump administration. During consecutive tariff threats in April and May, billions of dollars were wiped out from major assets, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and XRP (Ripple). However, after experiencing the largest liquidation event in history last October and seeing prices fall significantly from their peaks, the market now appears more resilient to additional negative shocks, with volatility gradually decreasing.

Behind the solid daily price defense, substantial institutional outflows are still underway. This week, U.S. investors cashed out a total of $316 million from spot Bitcoin ETFs, except for Friday, while more than $123 million flowed out of spot Ethereum ETFs. Due to redemption pressure from major asset managers such as BlackRock, Fidelity, and Grayscale, Bitcoin is down 2% on a weekly basis, while Ethereum has declined 5%.

Despite the combined impact of large-scale fund outflows and the significant macro shock of a 15% tariff, the market’s ability to maintain positive intraday momentum suggests that policy uncertainty and worst-case scenarios have already been largely priced in.

Disclaimer: This article is for investment reference only and we are not responsible for any investment losses incurred based on it. The content should be interpreted for informational purposes only.