Bitcoin Blasts Toward $82K as Trump’s Tariff Pivot Sparks Crypto Comeback

The crypto market lit up Thursday as Bitcoin rallied to nearly $82,000 following President Donald Trump’s decision to pause sweeping tariffs on most U.S. trade partners — with China standing as the lone exception.

Markets cheered Trump’s abrupt course correction, which replaced broad-based tariff hikes with a 90-day suspension for non-retaliatory nations. Meanwhile, tariffs on Chinese imports soared to a staggering 125%, stoking both geopolitical tension and investor enthusiasm.

Crypto majors surged in response. XRP and Ethereum (ETH) led the pack with double-digit gains of 12%, while Solana (SOL), Dogecoin (DOGE), Cardano (ADA), and Binance Coin (BNB) climbed around 10%. The overall crypto market cap rose 6%, while the CoinDesk 20 Index added 7%.

Traders scrambled to cover short positions, triggering over $350 million in liquidations — the most since March — adding fuel to the rally after Bitcoin’s earlier dip toward $75,000.

Mid-cap tokens also shined, with Bittensor’s TAO, Sonic (S), and Flare (FLARE) posting gains of up to 30%.

Traditional markets followed suit: the S&P 500 rebounded 9.5% and the Nasdaq 100 soared 12%, marking the strongest single-day rally in over a decade.

“The market’s moving on hopes that global trade tensions will ease and negotiations will follow,” said Jeff Mei, COO of BTSE. “But China’s exclusion means a full resolution is far from guaranteed.”

Jupiter Zheng of HashKey Capital sees potential for a crypto bottom. “If U.S. regulators continue moving toward friendlier policies, Bitcoin’s recent low could mark a major turning point,” he said.

As macro conditions shift and policy winds blow crypto’s way, optimism is returning — but traders remain on edge, bracing for whatever comes next.