Charles Hoskinson Blames TRUMP Token for Derailing Crypto Legislation Progress
Cardano founder Charles Hoskinson just dropped a political bombshell—claiming a single memecoin has thrown a wrench into Washington's crypto rulemaking.
The Culprit: A Token Named TRUMP
Hoskinson points the finger directly at the TRUMP token, suggesting its existence and the surrounding media frenzy created a regulatory headache lawmakers weren't prepared to handle. The implication? Politicians saw the token's volatility and populist appeal as a red flag, prompting a slowdown on broader digital asset frameworks.
Legislation Hits a Wall
The timing couldn't be worse. Multiple bipartisan bills were inching toward committee votes, aiming to clarify everything from stablecoin issuance to crypto exchange oversight. Now, insiders whisper those efforts are stuck in neutral—caught in a crossfire of renewed skepticism. It's the classic political move: see one problem, pause everything—because why streamline a trillion-dollar industry when you can fret over a meme?
What's Next for Crypto Policy?
This setback forces a brutal reality check. The industry's push for clear rules now faces an unexpected adversary: its own meme-driven, hyper-politicized fringe. The path forward requires more than just tech brilliance; it demands navigating a minefield of political perception. One thing's certain—in the high-stakes game of financial regulation, sometimes the biggest roadblocks aren't in the code, but in the headlines.
TLDR
- Hoskinson claims the TRUMP token launch lost crypto a potential 70-vote Senate majority.
- Trump’s stablecoin deal and memecoin raised ethics concerns well before TRUMP’s launch.
- Despite TRUMP’s impact, the GENIUS Act and CLARITY Act still passed the House.
- Bitcoin’s dominance surged due to ETFs and institutional flow, not just politics.
Charles Hoskinson recently claimed that the launch of the TRUMP token in January 2025 derailed a potential 70-vote Senate majority for the CLARITY Act and shifted crypto policy from bipartisan to partisan. He argued that the controversy surrounding the token and its connection to Donald Trump’s personal ventures locked capital into Bitcoin, fueling a Bitcoin-only rally in 2025. However, market data suggests deeper structural factors were at play beyond the political fallout.
TRUMP Token and the Impact on Crypto Policy
Charles Hoskinson has recently pointed to the launch of the TRUMP token in January 2025 as a key factor in derailing the potential passage of the CLARITY Act, which he claimed could have secured a 70-vote Senate majority.
According to Hoskinson, the launch of the TRUMP token just before President Donald Trump’s inauguration caused the crypto policy landscape to shift from bipartisan to partisan, turning crypto regulation into a politically charged issue. This move, he argues, led to a rally in Bitcoin and reduced support for altcoins.
Hoskinson’s narrative suggests that the political fallout from the TRUMP token, linked to the president’s personal ventures, distorted the FLOW of capital in the crypto market. He claims that the controversy surrounding the token and concerns about government interference pushed capital into Bitcoin, creating a Bitcoin-only market rally in 2025. However, as the article explains, the situation is more complex, with factors beyond the TRUMP token influencing the market’s behavior.
Legislative Challenges and the TRUMP Token
The TRUMP token, which saw 200 million tokens sold and 800 million retained by Trump-controlled entities, quickly attracted the attention of ethics experts. Many viewed it as a clear conflict of interest, given that Trump was involved in shaping crypto policy while simultaneously profiting from the sale of a meme coin.
By May 2025, the first signs of legislative pushback appeared, as Rep. Maxine Waters canceled a joint hearing on crypto market structure rules, citing concerns about Trump’s involvement in crypto.
Despite the controversy, key crypto-related bills such as the GENIUS Act for stablecoins and the Digital Asset Market Structure CLARITY Act moved forward in the House. However, the process was complicated by the ethics concerns surrounding Trump’s personal crypto ventures.
While House Republicans largely supported the legislation, many Democrats viewed the bills as too favorable to the crypto industry and closely tied to Trump’s personal interests. This created a political divide that made the path forward for crypto legislation more difficult.
The Bitcoin-Only Rally and Market Factors
While Hoskinson ties the Bitcoin-only rally in 2025 to the political drama surrounding the TRUMP token, market data suggests other underlying factors at play. Reports from the first half of 2025 show that institutional and retail flows into spot bitcoin ETFs were a major driver of the Bitcoin surge.
The demand for Bitcoin through ETFs was seen as a safer and more stable investment, especially when compared to altcoins, which faced more regulatory uncertainty and lacked similar institutional support.
Market data also pointed to a shift in investor behavior, with a growing risk aversion that favored Bitcoin over altcoins. Many of the larger altcoins, such as ethereum (ETH) and Solana (SOL), struggled to maintain momentum as the market matured.
The approval and delay of altcoin ETF conversions further exacerbated this trend, leading to a decline in altcoin market activity. This shift in investor focus had little to do with the political environment surrounding Trump’s ventures but was driven primarily by structural market changes.
