Trump Threatens 50% Tariff on China as Geopolitical Turmoil Bolsters Bitcoin’s Safe-Haven Narrative
As conflict between the United States and Iran escalates and the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked, the question of whether China is supplying Iran with air-defense weapons has implications for U.S.-China trade, energy prices and the military balance in the Middle East. The developments have prompted markets to reassess Bitcoin’s narrative as a sovereign-independent store of value. However, geopolitical risk could initially weigh on risk assets, and Bitcoin’s safe-haven performance may remain volatile.
On April 8, 2026, Trump announced that goods imported from any country supplying weapons to Iran would immediately face an additional 50% tariff. On April 12, he explicitly said China would also be covered. CNN cited U.S. intelligence indicating that Beijing planned to deliver systems including shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles within weeks, while China’s Foreign Ministry denied supplying weapons. As of April 13, the tariff had not been formally imposed. During the same period, Strategy bucked the trend by spending $1 billion to increase its Bitcoin holdings.
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The history behind this eventAnalysis: How Trump's Tariff Policies Affect Bitcoin Prices
Bitcoin has become more closely correlated with risk assets such as U.S. stocks, leaving its price exposed to Trump's trade and cryptocurrency policies. After the White House announced its “Liberation Day” tariffs of at least 10% on April 5, 2025, Bitcoin immediately fell 5.7% but was up 2.14% one week later. Trump's signing of Executive Order 14178 on January 23 that year sent a pro-crypto signal.
The latest shock began on February 22, 2026, when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Trump had exceeded his authority by imposing some tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977. He immediately invoked the Trade Act of 1974 instead and announced a global tariff of 10%. Bitcoin fell 0.77% the following day and was down another 1.3% by the time Cointelegraph published its report on February 26. The cryptocurrency was only just holding above $70,000 for the month.
Trump State of the Union Pushes Tariffs and Immigration Curbs, Jolting Bitcoin
Trump delivered his first State of the Union address to the U.S. Congress since returning to the White House, focusing his policy agenda on border security, immigration controls and tariffs. As the world’s largest economy, changes in U.S. tariffs affect supply chains, inflation and investor risk appetite, making volatile assets such as Bitcoin more sensitive to policy signals.
On February 24, 2026, Trump declared that the United States was entering a “golden age” and laid out 16 issues spanning the economy, tariffs, healthcare and Iran’s nuclear weapons. He called for “zero entry” at the border and further tariff increases. The policy uncertainty quickly spilled into cryptocurrency markets, with Bitcoin swinging sharply around $68,000.
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