Yigit Taha OZTURK 
The cryptocurrency market witnessed a significant shake-up on Jan. 18 with the surprise launch of the Official Trump Memecoin (TRUMP), endorsed by President-elect Donald Trump. The announcement, made via Trump’s social media accounts, directed users to purchase the token on the Solana (SOL) blockchain through a specified centralized intermediary and provided the token’s contract address.
This unexpected launch sent Solana’s native token (SOL) soaring to a new all-time high of $270, sparking questions about the sustainability of its rally. With Solana’s $120 billion market cap, some analysts are debating its implications for Ethereum (ETH), traditionally seen as Trump’s preferred blockchain due to its ties with the World Liberty Financial project.
Reshaping the Crypto Landscape
The launch coincided with the high-profile “Crypto Ball”, a Trump-honoring event held in Washington, D.C., featuring industry leaders such as Michael Saylor, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, and the Winklevoss twins. The timing of the token launch and its subsequent $6.9 billion market cap made waves across the industry.
TRUMP Token launched with 200 million tokens in circulation and a total supply of 1 billion, with 80% allocated to the issuers. The token saw immediate listings on major exchanges, including Bybit, Bitget, and KuCoin, and significant activity on decentralized exchanges (DEXs) like Meteora and Jupiter DEX.
Solana’s Dominance Strengthened
With trading volumes exceeding $7 billion, TRUMP outperformed established memecoins such as Dogecoin (DOGE), Shiba Inu (SHIB), and PEPE, causing these tokens to lose market share. Notably, Dogecoin dropped 6%, Shiba Inu fell 7.5%, and PEPE declined by 10.5%.
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More than 200,000 users purchased TRUMP directly via its app, Moonshot, which facilitated nearly $400 million in trading volume. As a result, Solana’s decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem, particularly platforms like Meteora and Raydium, experienced significant growth.
Challenges for Ethereum
The launch of TRUMP reinforced Solana’s position as a dominant ecosystem for token launches. For Ethereum holders, this posed a dual challenge: the loss of Trump-related market sentiment and Solana’s rising appeal among traders and institutional investors.
For Solana (SOL) to sustain its momentum and breach the $300 mark, the network will need to expand institutional adoption and potentially secure a spot ETF approval from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)—a key factor for long-term growth.
Will the Official Trump Memecoin maintain its price above $20? The answer may shape the future of both Solana and the broader memecoin market.
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