Donald Trump’s Tariffs, Bitcoin, And The Crypto Market: Everything You Should Know About Why The Market Crashed

Bitcoin, along with the entire crypto market, was sent into another brief disarray in the past few hours after a new wave of bearish sentiment hit through, causing all large-market cap cryptos to bleed red. This sea of red followed an interesting announcement by former President Donald Trump, who introduced what is being called one of the largest tariff policies in U.S. history.

Speaking at the “Make America Wealthy Again” event, Trump revealed a plan to impose tariffs on 185 countries, a move that immediately rattled global financial markets, especially equities and digital assets.

The Real Tariff Shock: A Chain Reaction That Started With A Poster

The crypto industry dropped as much as 2% in the past 24-hour timeframe, with Bitcoin falling as low as $82,277. At the center of the storm was the term “reciprocal tariffs,” a strategy by Donald Trump’s government that goes far beyond the baseline 10% that the Wall Street Journal initially reported. The narrative shifted when Trump clarified that the tariffs were not flat tariffs but reciprocal tariffs.

This means the U.S. would impose duties at half the rate other countries currently impose on American goods. As such, for countries like China, which Trump claimed charges the U.S. 67%, there would be a 34% U.S. tariff in response. The European Union was next in line with a proposed 20% tariff.

As the announcement unfolded, the S&P 500 futures erased $2 trillion in market cap in under fifteen minutes. What turned market sentiment violently was the visual aid Trump held up at exactly 4:26 PM ET. Just moments before that, S&P futures were up 2%. By 4:42 PM ET, they had fallen by 4%. Interestingly, the Nasdaq 100 futures is also on track to plunge by over 900 points.

Bitcoin’s reaction was just as swift as that of traditional markets. As risk-off sentiment swept through global markets, Bitcoin saw a sharp decline in tandem with the sell-off in tech stocks. The recent strengthening correlation between Bitcoin and U.S. tech equities meant that the downturn in Nasdaq and S&P 500 spilled directly into digital asset territory. 

Timeline Of Tariff Implementation And Repercussions On Investors

Trump announced that the 10% baseline tariff will take effect on April 5th, with higher reciprocal tariffs rolling out on April 9th. Exemptions have been granted to specific categories such as pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, copper, and lumber, while countries like Canada and Mexico have escaped new tariffs entirely, thanks to USMCA compliance. Even Russia was left out of this tariff round, at least for now. 

Despite Trump’s simultaneous promise of historic tax cuts, markets are still deep in the red. The long-term implications are difficult to quantify, but analysts interpreting the policy’s economic scope have already floated a 150 basis point reduction in GDP growth as a possibility.

According to analysts at “The Kobeissi Letter,” the largest one-week trade deficit in US history should be coming in the next three days leading up to April 5th and 9th. They also expect the tariffs to cause a 150 basis point reduction of US GDP growth. As of today, the US posted a historic $300 billion two-month trade deficit. 

Bitcoin is trading at $83,569 and has slightly recovered from its intraday low of $82,277.

Chart from TradingView.com