Bitcoin Volatility Coincides With Spike in Tariff Discussions

• Bitcoin peaks and downturns coincided with major Trump tariff announcements.
• February’s 15% global tariff triggered record tariff mentions as BTC neared $64.6K.
• April and Oct 2025 tariffs triggered social frenzy; Bitcoin surged to $126K before falling.

Bitcoin’s recent price turbulence has coincided with a rise in online discussions about U.S. tariff policy, according to data from on-chain analytics firm Santiment. The latest spike followed President Donald Trump’s February 2026 announcement imposing a 15% global tariff on all imports, a move that came after the Supreme Court ruled such tariffs illegal. 

The development led to a surge in tariff-related social media activity and coincided with renewed selling pressure across crypto markets.

Tariff Spike Aligns With Bitcoin Volatility

Santiment’s data tracking Bitcoin’s price against social mentions of “tariff” and “tariffs” from late November through Feb. 23 shows a divergence in late February. Bitcoin traded near $64,600 at the most recent data point, while tariff-related mentions reached their highest level in the observed period.

During December and early January, social discussions about tariffs remained muted as Bitcoin moved within a broad range, at one point approaching the mid-$90,000 level. However, in mid-to-late January, online discourse began climbing. A strong spike around Jan. 19 aligned with a local price peak before Bitcoin entered a sustained downtrend.

By early February, Bitcoin had declined, falling toward the low-$60,000 range. Social volume initially cooled during the early phase of the drop but surged again around Feb. 23, marking the largest spike in tariff-related mentions on the chart.

Historical Tariff Shocks and Crypto Market Turning Points

In April 2025, Trump introduced country-specific tariffs, including a 60% tariff on China and 25%–40% tariffs on Mexico, the European Union, Japan, and India. Social media discourse intensified during that period, coinciding with heightened market volatility and retail liquidation at market lows.

Later, in October 2025, just five days after Bitcoin reached its $126,000 all-time high, Trump announced a 100% tariff on Chinese imports. Although the measure was rescinded two days later, online discussion spiked sharply. During that window, Bitcoin traded above $115,000 before entering a multi-month decline.

Taken together, the pattern suggests that spikes in tariff-related social dominance tend to align with periods of elevated volatility and emotional extremes in the market.

Related: Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump’s Tariffs in 6–3 Ruling