Trump recently had what can only be described as one of his classic outbursts, proclaiming he’d slap a whopping 100% tariff on Chinese goods.
Wall Street instantly went into meltdown, and the cryptocurrency universe suffered what can only be called a “crypto disaster.” Bitcoin nosedived by 13% in just 24 hours, breaking through the $110,000 floor and wiping out a jaw-dropping $19 billion in positions. The carnage left countless investors licking their wounds—heard from every corner.
But as Trump dialed back the rhetoric, Bitcoin bounced right back. Volatility is nothing new in these markets, but this time, something was off. Mere moments before Trump’s shock tariff announcement, two accounts began dumping massive short positions on Bitcoin—and even doubled down at the last second. After the crash, those mysterious traders walked away with $160 million (about HK$1.25 billion).
The timing was scary-perfect, raising the obvious suspicion: Did they know what was coming? Naturally, eyes turned toward Trump’s family and inner circle—the usual suspects in any “insider trading” drama.
Trump drops a bombshell on China, Bitcoin crashes—somebody made a killing. Insider trading suspicions swirl.
Family Business or Financial Roulette
So what’s the truth here? That’s up to future evidence, but let’s face it: The Trump family has a rich history of benefitting from the “King’s” moves on the market. Whether this round’s mysterious short-seller is connected—well, everyone’s got theories.
The precision of this massive crypto short—timed right as Trump launched his tariff attack on China—reeks of “insider trading.”
A half-hour before Trump’s 100% tariff announcement, a shadowy account started stacking huge shorts on the decentralized exchange Hyperliquid. The final bet? Placed exactly one minute before Trump’s public bombshell. That kind of play only makes sense if you’ve got live updates from the source—insiders who knew a crash was about to hit.
We all know what happened next—Bitcoin plummeted, smashing past $110,000 to a low of $105,900, a full 20% nosedive from its earlier $126,000 high. Ethereum got wrecked too, sinking to $3,380—down more than 20%. The whole market was an avalanche, catching 1.6 million investors totally off guard. Meanwhile, someone out there was celebrating. That shadowy account made off with a cool $160 million, over HK$1.25 billion, in just 24 hours. The biggest winner in this bloodbath.
Who could have predicted the carnage? To many, it looked almost like a psychic move—the mysterious trader knew exactly when Bitcoin would collapse. No wonder speculation kicked off: The people most likely to know about Trump’s sudden plans are none other than his family and top insiders. Their tentacles reach deep into crypto, so imagining these accounts are tied to them doesn’t sound crazy at all.
Trump’s family holds sway in crypto—was the market crash and rebound just another day in their playbook?
Old Habits Die Hard
Let’s not pretend this is groundless. Trump and family have a record for scooping up “policy news” windfalls.
Back in April, before Trump announced a pause on reciprocal tariffs, US stock volumes mysteriously surged—clearly, someone was buying big. After the news, the market soared, and the early birds made billions.
There were plenty of whispers then that Trump’s family, friends, and confidants may have known the plan before it went public. Proof is always tough, but Trump himself slipped up—at a White House sit-down with his financial buddy Charles Schwab, he openly said his “old friend” had pocketed $2.5 billion that day. Sure smells like privileged tips were flying and someone loaded up ahead of time.
In recent years, the Trump family has gone extra-hard on crypto investments. Last year, they set up “World Liberty Financial” (WLF), raising funds specifically to play the market. The patriarch himself has made a habit of pushing out policies to pump up cryptocurrencies, keeping everything tightly aligned with the family business. Surprise, surprise—their companies’ profits keep surging, and their pockets get fatter every single time.
This time was textbook. Trump threw out his hard tariff talk, smashed Bitcoin, then pivoted and talked nice, letting the price rebound above $110,000 while Ethereum got a 2% lift. Crash, rebound, and those “in the know” raked it in—again, and again. Record profits from every swing.
Are Trump’s family and friends behind it? Maybe we’ll never get all the answers, but for anyone watching closely, America’s “money politics” is looking uglier than ever.
What Say You?
** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **
Today, December 7, marks the second election since the Legislative Council finally got back on track. Today, I can’t shake the memory of how a "deformed democracy" ravaged this chamber for years. It was a malignancy—a tumor growing from within—that trapped us in endless chaos and nearly destroyed Hong Kong. This nightmare remains burned into my mind.
Let’s look at the receipts from those insane years. Three absurd realities prove how a tidal wave of radicalism washed away a functioning Council. First, post-"Occupy Central," a crop of "political stars" rode a wave of extremism to besiege LegCo, degrading election quality for years. Second, during the "Black Violence" era, District Councils devolved into a "destroyers' paradise" of unprecedented disorder. Third, to appease radical voters, Pan-democrats hijacked the House Committee election for six months, paralyzing governance. The Council became an endangered structure on the verge of collapse, dragging government operations down with it. Without the Central Government stepping in to restore order, Hong Kong was finished. To stop history from repeating, everyone needs to vote on December 7.
The truth is, this "deformed democracy" was rotting the soil of Hong Kong politics long before "Occupy Central." The British government deliberately planted "election landmines," allowing politicians using unorthodox methods to rise. They realized the game: be radical, be outrageous, be uncouth, and you get votes. Figures like Wong Yuk-man, Albert Chan, and "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung seized power this way. Once that door opened, the Council’s normal operations were destroyed, turning the chamber into a mud-wrestling pit.
That was just the prelude. The subversion peaked with the 6th Legislative Council election following the 2014 "Occupy Central" movement. Driven by a passion for "rebellion," masses of young people blindly voted for fresh faces who built their brands on radicalism, ignoring their complete lack of ability or track record. The result? First-time winners included "Localist" figures dripping with "Hong Kong Independence" sentiment like Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching, alongside "Occupy" student leader Nathan Law.
Oath-Taking Circus: Post-"Occupy" radicals Baggio Leung and Yau Wai-ching stormed the chamber advocating independence, turning solemn oaths into a disgraceful farce.
The "Open House" of Radical Chaos
Worse still, opportunists within the Pan-democrat camp saw this worked and jumped into the fray. The prime examples were the notoriously "uncouth and aggressive" Ted Hui and the self-proclaimed radical environmentalist Eddie Chu.
When Baggio Leung, Yau Wai-ching, and Nathan Law stormed the Council, political insiders told me the candidacy door had been flung too wide. It became an "unguarded open house"—easy to enter, hard to clear out—guaranteeing chaos. Fortunately, their greed for victory blinded them to the risks. They played games with their inaugural oaths, effectively playing themselves into a corner and getting disqualified (DQ).
Even after they were ousted, the "miracle" of their election accelerated the degradation of our politics. Fanatical voters continued to back incompetent politicians just to vent rebellious angst. Even younger members of the traditional Pan-democrats started acting out to cater to this new taste. Ted Hui is the textbook example: violently snatching a female civil servant's phone and throwing foul-smelling filth in the Chamber. It became a competition of who could be the most radical, obstructing bills and making livelihood administration nearly impossible.
By 2019, when the anti-extradition bill unrest broke out, the Council became a disaster zone. Then came the second absurdity. During the November District Council elections, held amidst turmoil, radical candidates swarmed to grab seats. At the same time, "black-clad people" physically attacked Establishment opponents with beatings, arson, and intimidation. They won the majority, reducing the District Councils to a "destroyers' paradise." Long-serving community councilors were wiped out, marking an unprecedented and unbearable degradation of our institutions.
Filth in the Chamber: "Uncouth" politician Ted Hui proved his disruptive intent by literally throwing foul-smelling rot during a Council meeting.
Paralyzing the System From Within
Inside LegCo, Pan-democrats brought the street riots into the Chamber, competing to perform "radical shows." The most absurd spectacle was Civic Party member Dennis Kwok holding the House Committee Chairman election hostage. He "played games" for over half a year. Sixteen meetings passed without electing a chairman, blocking massive amounts of government bills. Forced by the situation, even moderate Pan-democrats joined the madness, turning the Chamber into a real-life version of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."
Recently, some claim the reformed Legislative Council has lost its monitoring function. This is 100% a fallacy. The Council back then was thoroughly wrecked; normal operations were paralyzed. What monitoring was there? Government administration was dragged down, pushing us to the brink of "mutual destruction" (laam caau).
Thankfully, the Central Government stepped in at the critical moment to pull the Council back on the right track. If "deformed democracy" had continued, Hong Kong would have derailed and fallen off a cliff, destroyed in a single day.
To prevent this painful history from repeating, everyone must vote enthusiastically on December 7. Support the Legislative Council moving forward on the correct track.
Lai Ting-yiu
