Crypto Market in the Trump Era: Bitcoin Drops Below Inauguration Price After Record Highs

Strategic Steps and Market Reaction Donald Trump, who took office with the "America First" slogan and promised to make the United States the world's Bitcoin hub, signed a historic executive order in March 2025 for the establishment of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and the U.S.
Digital Asset Stock.
However, despite these institutional steps, uncertainties in global trade policies and the Federal Reserve's cautious stance on interest rates triggered volatility in the markets.
Sharp Decline from Record Levels Bitcoin gained significant momentum, reaching an all-time high of $126,199 on October 6, 2025.
However, increased selling pressure in the final quarter of the year pulled prices down to the $90,000 level by January 2026.
This decline caused Bitcoin to fall even below its value on January 20, 2025, the date Trump officially took office.
Institutional Interest and Market Analysis Uraz Çay, International Markets Strategist at Ak Yatırım, evaluated the current market situation, noting that while Bitcoin is up 35% compared to the November 2024 elections, it remains 27% behind the October 2025 record.
Çay emphasized that the high returns expected by investors have not materialized during this period.
Core Reasons for the Stagnation Analysts point out that although Bitcoin is often described as "digital gold," it has shown weak performance compared to actual gold.
While the stablecoin ecosystem has become a new source of borrowing for the U.S., it has also brought geopolitical risks into the crypto market.
Meanwhile, total assets in Bitcoin spot ETFs appear to have stabilized at around $125 billion.
While the decreasing correlation between Bitcoin and other investment vehicles offers diversification opportunities for institutional portfolios, it is observed that investor preferences continue to lean toward precious metals.