Bitcoin and major cryptocurrencies extended gains Monday as traders digested U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest economic proposal of a $2,000 “tariff dividend” for every American, funded by import duties.
The plan, unveiled on Truth Social, boosted risk appetite even as some questioned its feasibility and potential inflationary fallout.
“A dividend of at least $2000 a person (not including high income people!) will be paid to everyone,” the post said, adding that those opposed to tariffs are “FOOLS!” The rhetoric arrives as Washington’s fiscal debates reheat ahead of 2026 budget talks.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier this year that tariff revenues would be used to pay down the national debt, which now stands near $38 trillion, though Trump’s latest comments suggest a populist tilt toward direct cash transfers.
While the proposal is unlikely to materialize without congressional approval, markets read it as a fresh injection of fiscal looseness. The idea of direct household payments, even hypothetical, revived the same risk-on reflex that drove digital assets during the pandemic-era stimulus rounds.
Bitcoin rose 4.6% over 24 hours to $106,440, while Ether gained 6.1% to $3,618, data from CoinGecko shows. XRP led majors with an 8.5% daily jump to $2.48, and Solana added 6.1% to $167.96.
Overall crypto market capitalization climbed to about $3.5 trillion, with roughly $113 billion in 24-hour volumes in an unusually high figure for Sunday trading.
XRP’s market-beating rally came on the heels of Canary Capital’s third pre-effective S-1 amendment for its proposed Canary XRP ETF, which would list on Nasdaq under the ticker XRPC.
The trust will hold XRP in custody with Gemini and BitGo, benchmarked to the CoinDesk XRP CCIXber 60m New York Rate.
Whether the “tariff dividend” becomes law or just another campaign talking point, traders appear happy to front-run the liquidity narrative once again.
