Bits + Bips: Debate: Is Trump’s Memecoin a Gift or a Grift? - Ep. 769

Unchained

Laura Shin

News, Tech News, Business News

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 22 January 2025

⏱️ 77 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week, Trump’s memecoin launch had everyone talking—and scrambling for Phantom wallets. But was it a strategic masterstroke or just another speculative frenzy? On this episode of Bits + Bips, the hosts unpack the wild moments of the Crypto Ball, where $TRUMP made its surprise debut. They discuss how Bitcoin maxis were forced to embrace Solana wallets, why Multicoin Capital emerged as the biggest winner, and whether the memecoin launch signals a local market top. Plus, they debate whether Trump’s crypto-friendly stance could shape policy in 2025, why Litecoin might beat Solana to a spot ETF, and what Trump’s inauguration speech reveals about his crypto game plan. Show highlights: 0:58 What Ram can tell us about his experience at the Crypto Ball 3:39 How Ram was so surprised when the $TRUMP coin dropped in the middle of the event 7:51 What will happen with the 80% of $TRUMP that Trump holds 8:51 Why Ram believes Multicoin Capital was the biggest winner of $TRUMP dropping 10:14 Whether the coin was “gift or grift” 17:07 How the $Melania coin was the Trumps shooting themselves in the foot 19:37 How the launch of the coin is a “major win” for Solana 22:49 Whether ETH can have a comeback as the “TradFi chain” 35:28 How the market would react to the lack of a strategic bitcoin reserve mention 43:28 What executive orders Trump could deliver for the crypto industry 48:47 Alex’s experience with the pump and dump of a fake Barron Trump memecoin 53:41 What was notable from Trump’s inauguration speech 56:28 Whether rate cuts in December were a mistake and whether more are coming 1:05:51 Why James believes that Litecoin has more chances than Solana for a spot ETF 1:08:41 Whether the launch of $TRUMP will mark a local top for the markets Hosts: James Seyffart, Research Analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence Alex Kruger, Founder of Asgard Ram Ahluwalia, CFA, CEO and Founder of Lumida Noelle Acheson, Author of the “Crypto Is Macro Now” Newsletter Links Saylor’s parody account’s tweet recounted by Alex Meme recounted by Noelle Vitalik on changing the EF leadership Josh Stark’s tweet on how the EF “uses Ethereum” Paper on DeFi that Alex talked about: Christopher J Waller: Centralized and decentralized finance - substitutes or complements? Polymarket: Will Trump create Bitcoin reserve in first 100 days? Unchained: Trump Appoints Crypto-Friendly Mark Uyeda as Acting SEC Chair Trump-Backed World Liberty Financial Goes on Token Buying Spree Trump Picks Pham as Acting CFTC Chair Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The stuff that happened this weekend with the meme coin launches and Trump, World
0:04.8	Liberty Financial, which we didn't talk about, did buy a whole bunch of Ethereum and Bitcoin
0:08.4	and sell some of their coins this weekend, millions and millions of dollars.
0:12.5	So that was interesting. But I also, like, this feels like something that happened.
0:16.0	If the top was in, like, it would make sense to be like, we're going to, we'll look back
0:19.6	this eight months from now and be like, how could we have not have seen Trump launching two meme coins as not being the
0:25.2	top?
0:25.9	Hi, everyone.
0:26.4	Welcome to bits and bips.
0:27.6	Exploring how crypto and macro collide one basis point at a time.
0:30.6	I'm your host, James Safert, Tradfai Archmaster, Lord of Bloomberg's End, here with Rahm Al-Alaalia, maister of wealth, leader of Lumida. Hey, how's it going, everyone? Also joined by Noel Acheson,
0:41.0	hi Seer and Keeper of the Crypto is Macro Now newsletter. Hello, everyone. Yeah, we're here to
0:46.7	discuss the latest stories in the worlds of crypto and macro. Just remember that nothing we say here
0:50.1	is investment nights. Please check UnchainCrypto.com slash bips and bips for more disclosures.
0:55.9	All right, I figure the best way to get started here is just to get straight into the juicy
0:59.4	social gossip side of things here in the crypto world, which there's a lot of it going on in
1:03.6	the last week.
1:04.6	So, Rob, you were actually at the crypto ball, which was the event of the, I don't know,
1:09.4	the year so far, I guess.
1:10.8	It's pretty early on.
1:11.8	So why don't you give us a rundown of who is there, any sort of topics you want to talk about
1:16.1	what you learned, what you saw, and then we'll go from there.
	...

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