Trump Crypto: Shutdown Escape Teased, But Bitcoin and Gold Still Flinch

Key Insights:

  • Trump’s Cuba emergency order and Iran-related signals kept traders on edge. Gold, silver, and TRUMP crypto whipped around, and markets stayed jumpy despite hopes for a funding deal.
  • Senate leaders/White House say there’s a bipartisan framework, yet key votes must pass before the Friday midnight funding deadline.
  • Bitcoin crypto’s slide is framed as a dollar-liquidity/Treasury cash balance (TGA) tightening story, amplified by ETF outflows and thin liquidity.

Trump Crypto also entered the conversation on January 29, 2026, when President Donald Trump said the U.S. economy was still setting records. He warned that a long, damaging government shutdown was the one thing that could slow it down.

The POTUS urged Republicans and Democrats to back a bipartisan yes vote as he pushed a path to keep the government funded, according to TIME’s reporting on his Truth Social post.

Even with that shutdown off-ramp taking shape, Trump crypto anxiety still hit risk assets at the worst moment. Bitcoin crypto slid as low as $81,000 on January 29 as a broad selloff gathered pace

Trump Crypto Pressure Spreads Through Foreign Policy

In a January 29, 2026, fact sheet, the White House said President Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency tied to threats posed by the Cuban government. The order also created a process to impose additional tariffs on imports from countries that sell or otherwise provide oil to Cuba.

The fact sheet said the order authorized the Secretaries of State and Commerce to take actions. That included issuing rules and guidance to implement the tariff system.

Why Gold Stayed in Demand When Politics Got Louder?

Gold’s strength offered a clean read on investor positioning. Tradingview shows that gold in January jumped to new highs of $5,500 a troy ounce for the first time, and later down 25% from its high.

XAUUSD: Source Tradingview

When gold stretches into record territory in the same window that Washington races the clock on shutdown funding, the market sends a message about what it wants to hold overnight. Trump Crypto coverage often focuses on what crypto prices do. The sharper signal sometimes sits next door, in how quickly investors pay up for insurance.

Bitcoin crypto did not trade like a steady hedge through the late-January headlines. Coverage around the week showed a market struggling to hold momentum amid macro noise.

Trump Crypto also adds a second-order effect: it can shift expectations for regulation, enforcement priorities, and global trade policy in the same breath. Investors rarely wait for full implementation. They react to the direction of travel.

Washington reduced one risk and introduced another. Lawmakers moved toward a shutdown off-ramp, but the process still looked messy. The White House also raised the temperature on trade policy by tying tariffs to third-country oil flows into Cuba.

Gold’s record run looked less like a curiosity and more like a vote. It suggested investors wanted protection first and optionality second.

Why Shutdown Talk Still Rattles Trump Crypto Investors?

Shutdown threats tend to hit sentiment fast. They can spook businesses and households, stall the release of major economic reports, and put the U.S. budget outlook back under a harsh light. When that happens, markets usually get jumpy across the board, from stocks and bonds to the dollar and crypto.

Heather said, the history is pretty clear. Shutdowns bring uncertainty, not a clean signal. For Bitcoin, she said the first effect is usually more price whiplash, not a steady move in one direction.

She also said a last-minute deal does not fix the bigger backdrop. Tighter financial conditions and rising geopolitical risk still sit over the market.

Heather said traders will stay glued to headlines until liquidity and policy look more stable. Until then, she said, sudden swings can hit both Wall Street and digital assets without much warning.

Source: https://www.thecoinrepublic.com/2026/01/31/trump-crypto-shutdown-escape-teased-but-bitcoin-and-gold-still-flinch/