I’m a Crypto Expert: 5 Trump Policy Impacts Likely To Hit Your 2026 Holdings
Written by
Tobi Opeyemi Amure
Edited by
Cory Dudak
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If you invest in bitcoin or any other digital asset, Trump’s second term could impact your holdings more than you think.
According to crypto expert Bobby Lee, Ballet CEO, new digital-asset orders made Washington a market driver rather than a distant referee. In 2026, your returns will hinge as much on White House policy and Congress as on the charts.
Galaxy Research noted the administration is trying to make America the “crypto capital of the world” through coordinated regulation and legislation. It describes a “clean break” from the enforcement-first Biden era, with a new federal framework for markets, stablecoins and banks.
So how exactly could Trump impact your holdings? Here’s what the expert had to say.
1. Stablecoin Yield Rules Could Reprice Your ‘Cash’
The first battlefield Lee highlighted is yield on regulated dollar stablecoins held on big exchanges and lending platforms. Coinbase and peers have paid several percentage points on stablecoin balances while banks lobby to restrict them and defend deposits. According to Nelson Mullins, Trump’s early digital-asset order paved the way for the GENIUS Act’s one-to-one reserve and strict payment-stablecoin rules.
Because regulated stablecoins must hold most reserves in short-term Treasuries, Washington has incentives to support responsible adoption. If the administration leans in, dollar liquidity and bank participation could deepen even as platform yields shrink. Galaxy’s summary of the President’s Working Group report argued dollar-backed stablecoins now serve dollar dominance, not as permanent high-yield savings alternatives.
2. The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Could Backstop Long-Term Prices
Trump’s agenda now includes a U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve plus a broader national digital-asset stockpile. A White House fact sheet explained the reserve will be funded mostly with bitcoin seized in enforcement cases and “shall not be sold,” making the government a permanent holder.
Lathrop GPM noted a companion stockpile can hold other seized cryptocurrencies — from ether to smaller tokens — under strict federal rules.
Lee called this the closest bitcoin has come to explicit sovereign backing from the world’s biggest economy. He explained that symbolism alone could pull in institutions that once doubted bitcoin’s staying power, since a major government now has lasting skin in the game. For long-term holders, that points to a potentially higher floor over time, even if day-to-day volatility remains punishing.
3. Friendlier Rules Could Actually Increase Volatility
In 2025, Trump signed “Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology,” overturning key Biden-era crypto directives, banning a U.S. CBDC, and empowering a Presidential Working Group to craft innovation-friendly rules for stablecoins, market structure, custody and consumer protection.
Lee sees a paradox: Clearer rules still create violent moves in thin markets. “In a small, illiquid market, every headline can hit like a sledgehammer,” he said.
According to Galaxy’s report, friendlier policy attracts new capital, but that often sharpens both rallies and crashes because underlying liquidity remains shallow.
4. Political Embrace Could Reward Quality Over Hype
Trump is the first president to fully embrace crypto rhetoric, from pledging to “end Operation Choke Point” to endorsing self-custody. A Holland and Knight summary noted his order casts open blockchain access as an economic-liberty issue and a pillar of U.S. leadership, while Trump has vowed to make America the “crypto capital of the planet.”
Lee said that rhetoric has pulled much of the industry into Trump’s political camp, tightening the link between election cycles and crypto sentiment. Still, he explained that friendly speeches and executive actions cannot salvage projects with broken tokenomics or no real users.
Skadden’s analysis similarly concluded the administration’s roadmap prioritizes structure, safety and regulatory clarity, not guaranteed upside for meme coins.
5. Self-Custody Protection Favors Prepared Long-Term Holders
Several legal analyses highlight that Trump’s digital-asset policies explicitly protect “lawful self-custody,” reversing years of quiet pressure on noncustodial wallets. Goodwin’s blockchain update noted that agencies were told to ensure Americans can “access and use blockchain networks without persecution,” subject to normal anti-money-laundering rules.
Lee suggested this stance makes practical self-custody a central pillar of any serious 2026 allocation. “As regulation churns, you want secure control over your keys, especially for long-term bitcoin positions,” he said. Crypto policies could keep evolving through 2027, so pairing new protections with conservative security habits and disciplined position sizing is essential.
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