While Donald Trump celebrated the success of his cryptocurrency, which skyrocketed to a market cap of tens of billions and landed in the Top 15 cryptocurrencies, Melania decided not to remain in the shadow of her husband and presented her own meme coin - $MELANIA.

While Trump may not have anticipated his wife’s sudden foray into crypto, $MELANIA seems to have diverted some attention and even stole a bit of $TRUMP’s capitalization.  

Record-Breaking Numbers for $TRUMP  

Launched just days before the inauguration, $TRUMP caused an immediate sensation. Within 24 hours, its market capitalization hit $9 billion, later climbing to an astonishing $15 billion.  

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Source: CoinMarketCap

At its peak, the token traded for $75, with a daily trading volume exceeding $52 billion. This success was bolstered by Trump’s bold promise to become the “crypto president” and remove regulatory barriers for digital assets.  

Although the token’s website carries a disclaimer stating that $TRUMP “is not political and has no affiliation with any campaign, office, or government agency,” skepticism lingered.  

Independent crypto analyst Justin D’Anethan described the phenomenon as a “Pandora’s box,” raising concerns about the influence public figures like Trump can wield on speculative markets.  

He told Reuters:

Should public figures, especially those with such political clout, wield this kind of sway in speculative markets? That’s a question regulators are unlikely to ignore.  

Others marveled at the token’s explosive growth, with comparisons drawn to Bitcoin. Notably, Peter Schiff, chief economist and global strategist at Euro Pacific Asset Management, named $TRUMP the new digital gold.  

And while the entire industry was debating the ethical issues, the First Lady entered the game.

Meme $MELANIA Took Part of Trump's Market Cap

On Sunday, January 19, just a day before her husband’s inauguration, Melania announced the launch of her meme coin, $MELANIA. Her tweet with the loud statement quickly went viral.  

Built on the Solana blockchain, $MELANIA debuted with a market cap of $1.7 billion. Within 8 hours, its value surged by 20,000%, pushing its market cap to $11 billion.  

Ironically, as $MELANIA soared, her husband’s coin faltered. By the time of writing, $TRUMP’s market cap had dipped to $9.5 billion. While Trump may not have foreseen his wife stealing the spotlight, $MELANIA has undeniably captured part of his audience.  

Despite the competition, $TRUMP still holds the 19th spot in the overall cryptocurrency market cap rankings, outperforming heavyweights like Litecoin (LTC), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Uniswap (UNI), and even meme coin legend Pepe, whose market cap is $6.8 billion.  

Politics and Meme Coins - A Risky Mix  

The intersection of cryptocurrency and politics is nothing new, but the launch of $TRUMP and $MELANIA takes it to new levels. Despite disclaimers stating that these coins are not investment instruments, their popularity amid a political campaign creates unobvious risks.  

Public figures with political influence could leverage their fame to manipulate financial markets, and the question of how to regulate such initiatives remains open.

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