Crypto News Weekly Recap: Trump’s Tariff War, the Rise of AI Meme Coins, and New P2E Games

We’re back with our weekly crypto recap.

If Trump’s presidency means one thing, it’s that there’ll be no shortage of crypto news.

This past week, the newly inaugurated president (along with his immediate family and friends) continued to make headlines in crypto circles. We also witnessed noteworthy developments in AI and gaming.

Here’s a recap of what happened in crypto recently:

• Trump’s tariffs shook the crypto and stock markets
• Eric Trump says buy the dip as $ETH lost over 20% in value
• Trump established the first federal wealth fund, and Lummis hinted it could hold $BTC
• Musk proposed moving all US Treasury operations onto the blockchain
• Google announced a $75B AI investment plan while its stock dropped 10%
• Crypto gamers anticipate three exciting new projects

Now, let’s zoom in a little.

1. Trump’s 25% Tariffs Shake Up the Market

The crypto market faced turbulence, with Bitcoin ($BTC) briefly touching $92K after Trump announced 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports.

Canada immediately imposed a counter-tariff, whereas Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum took a more cautious approach.

The Crypto Fear & Greed Index entered the Fear zone for the first time since October 2024 and hasn’t yet recovered. The impact rippled through traditional markets as well, with the S&P 500 futures dropping 1.9% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 1.5%.

However, there may be more strategic depth to Trump’s tariffs threats than immediate market reactions suggest. Specifically, it could be an attempt to weaken the dollar while maintaining low yields, thus forcing countries to shift from short-term dollar reserves to long-term Treasury bonds.

2. Eric Trump Endorses $ETH in an Attempt to Recover WLFI Portfolio

Eric Trump appears to be his father’s main crypto advisor, as evident from his involvement with World Liberty Finance (WLFI) and the official $TRUMP meme coin.

Last Monday, the presidential son tweeted ‘it’s a great time to add $ETH’ as the token dipped some 20% (on the back of Trump’s tariff war, that is). $ETH’s price subsequently rose from $2.3K to $2.7K.

Eric Trump’s $ETH advocacy makes sense given WLFI’s substantial holdings of the asset. The company purchased over $100M in $ETH and $WBTC in January and an additional $5M $ETH last week.

With an average $ETH purchase price of $3.3K, WLFI currently faces an unrealized loss of approximately $31M.

3. Trump Creates a Sovereign Wealth Fund, $BTC in Focus

Trump signed an executive order to establish America’s first federal sovereign wealth fund. Senator Cynthia Lummis then tweeted it’s a ‘₿ig deal,’ with the Bitcoin ₿, possibly hinting at an upcoming $BTC investment.

Unlike traditional strategic reserves that focus on stable assets, sovereign wealth funds have the flexibility to diversify into more dynamic investments – like crypto.

This approach would mirror Norway’s sovereign wealth fund strategy, which already has indirect $BTC exposure through investments in companies like MicroStrategy.

While Alaska and Texas have been successfully operating state-level sovereign wealth funds for some time, this is an uncharted territory for the federal government.

4. Musk Wants to Move the $1.5T US Treasury on the Blockchain

Musk raised eyebrows with his proposal to put the US Treasury on the blockchain – all $1.5T of it. We’re talking about a blockchain that would handle everything from social security checks to federal employee paychecks.

In line with the D.O.G.E mission, this would make Treasury management more efficient and enhance transparency, as you could track every dollar the government spends.

However, many are skeptical about the idea.

Either way, this transition would force over 3M federal employees to start using blockchain technology and push crypto adoption to levels never seen before.

5. Google’s ‘Small’ $75B AI Investment Rattles Wall Street

Google CEO Sundar Pichai plans to invest $75B in AI, which he called a ‘small expenditure.’

It’s clear that AI is taking center stage in Google’s strategy, especially given how much of the company’s $95B revenue last year was tied to AI-related services.

While Google’s yearly revenue increased 12%, Wall Street seemed jittery about this spending plan, which sent Alphabet Inc. shares down 10%.

However, Google has no other option to stay ahead of the Silicon Valley AI race. Microsoft isn’t far behind with its $80B AI infrastructure plan. Meta and Amazon are also pouring substantial resources into AI.

Capital inflows into the AI sector mean that AI meme coins and AI agent tokens might see more upside this year.

6. New in Crypto Gaming: Super Bowl NFTs, GTA 6, StepMania

In other crypto news, Mythical Games launched a Super Bowl promotion for NFL Rivals, its NFT mobile football game. The two-week event features 30 new player cards from the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.

Meanwhile, streamers Adin Ross and FaZe Banks plan to create a crypto-focused custom server for the upcoming GTA 6. However, they might face challenges given Rockstar Games’ 2022 ban on crypto and NFTs in GTA Online servers.

In other crypto game news, a new move-to-earn (M2E) fitness app, StepMania, is now available on Telegram. It takes inspiration from StepN, a 2021 M2E game that attracted 5.6M users with its unique mechanic and sneaker NFTs.

7. MIND of Pepe ($MIND) Could Benefit From the AI Race and Trump’s Policies

Trump’s pro-crypto strategy, shared by Eric Trump and Elon Musk, is bullish for the entire altcoin sector. That’s particularly true for AI tokens like MIND of Pepe ($MIND) in light of the current Big Tech AI race.

MIND of Pepe is a self-sovereign agent that runs on Ethereum. It can analyze market data, deliver exclusive insights to its token holders, engage in discussions on social media, and even launch its own projects (including crypto games).

Currently on presale, one $MIND token costs $0.0032924, but the price will increase in 14 hours. The project has raised $5.6M so far, and early adopters have staked 859B tokens at a 407% APY.

After $MIND hits the ground running and lists on DEX, it could surge 10X, especially now that Eric Trump has endorsed the Ethereum ecosystem.

This Week in Crypto – The Low Down

This week, all eyes are on Trump’s crypto agenda and the AI sector. The effect of federal policy decisions on market movements is undeniable, so we can only hope the upcoming days will bring good news.

Uncertainty forces investors to seek utility-focused projects like MIND of Pepe. Its data-backed market insights and ability to autonomously launch new projects make it one of the best presales in 2025.

As always, however, be sure to DYOR and keep a cool head. The current crypto market is extremely volatile, so diversify your portfolio and only invest as much as you can afford to lose.