Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP Down Since The Start Of 2025: Would A President Harris Have Been Better For Crypto?

Cryptocurrency traders on social media are debating whether a hypothetical Harris presidency may have been a better long-term outcome for the sector, given the poor performance of cryptocurrencies since President Trump took office.

What Happened: Pseudonymous trader Pickle outlined a "what-if" scenario in a post on X on Thursday, comparing how cryptocurrencies would have performed if Kamala Harris had won the presidency.

He posits that regulatory pressures would have remained high, likely driving Bitcoin BTC/USD down to the high $50,000s from $70,000 before a gradual recovery.

With softer monetary policy, markets could have seen a later peak in 2025—but without Trump's pro-crypto influence, there would be no Official Trump TRUMP/USD coin narrative or aggressive crypto deregulation.

Bullish catalysts arrived early under Presdient Trump, leading to a sharp rally.

Lacking new narratives, the market has started trending downward, with full retrace of the rally possible.

That said, the lack of an early blow-off top in equities could provide a stronger base for a later crypto surge, ultimately setting up a more sustainable bull run, the trader argues.

Also Read: 99% Of Americans Know Bitcoin, But Only 91% Know Dogecoin: Why?

Why It Matters: Web3 researcher Wale Swoosh highlighted that nearly all major cryptocurrencies have posted negative returns since the start of 2025: Bitcoin has dropped 11.7%, while Ethereum ETH/USD is down 46% and XRP 2.4%. Dogecoin DOGE/USD and Shiba Inu SHIB/USD are down 48% and 42.9%, respectively.

What's Next: The traders predict a flat market with occasional mean reversion pumps before a stronger move in late summer or early Q3 as the current uncertainty clears.

The initial Trump-driven boost was a one-time event—from here, market movements will depend on policy negotiations and settlements.

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