RTR Collapses After Donald Trump Jr. Denies Connection
By Vukan Ljubojevic | TH3FUS3 Senior Writer
August 10, 2024 10:11 AM
Reading time: 2 minutes, 54 seconds
TL;DR A new PolitiFi token, Restore The Republic (RTR), made waves this week amid the crypto market recovery. However, the price plummeted after the former US president’s camp denied any connection.
RTR Token Sees Rapid Surge and Fall
This week, a new PolitiFi token made the headlines amid the crypto market recovery. Restore The Republic (RTR) caught the attention of investors after rumors of being linked to the Trump family surged.
The Trump-themed token saw a massive surge after its launch. However, its price quickly plunged after the former US president's camp denied any links with it.
On Thursday night, the PolitiFi token was surrounded by controversy after it plummeted by over 95% just hours after launching. Restore The Republic was described as a token to "ensure that our nation remains a beacon of freedom, justice, and opportunity."
The memecoin drew massive investor attention when its buyers thought it was a Trump project. As a result, RTR's price surged over 14,500% following its launch, going from trading at $0.001 to as high as $0.15.
Denial from the Trump Camp
The token also hit a market capitalization of $155 million three hours after launching. However, the rapid surge was quickly met with a massive drop after Eric Trump claimed the project wasn't related to the former US president.
In an X post, Eric warned crypto investors of fake tokens, stating that "the only official Trump project has NOT been announced." He also emphasized that the news would come directly from their camp first.
"The only official Trump project has NOT been announced," warned Eric Trump.
Immediately after, RTR's market cap nosedived from $125 million to $13 million. The token went from trading for $0.12 to $0.007 in less than an hour.
On-Chain Data Revelations
On-chain data analysis firm Lookonchain revealed that a crypto whale lost over $800,000 after FOMO-buying the token. Per the report, the investor spent 5,800 SOL, worth $916,400, to buy 7.2 million RTR at its highest price.
Due to the price crash, the whale sold the RTR tokens for only 118 SOL, worth around $18,000, resulting in a loss of $898,500 in four hours. Online reports revealed that insiders made over $4 million from the memecoin.
The newly created wallets bought millions of RTR as it opened trading. The insiders sold the token right after Trump's camp denied ties to the memecoin.
Community Reaction
After the price crash, the crypto community discussed the token's shady launch and promotion. Students for Trump group co-founder and chairman Ryan Fournier suggested in a now-deleted post that RTR was the official Trump token.
Moreover, several KOLs (Key opinion leaders) promoted RTR to their followers, claiming it was the highly anticipated Trump project. After the collapse, some influencers affirmed that they had lost large sums of money.
One KOL also claims to possess "legal documentation" that proves Donald Trump Jr.'s involvement with the launch. The crypto community quickly compared this incident to the last "official" token linked to the Republican presidential candidate.
History Repeats Itself
Nearly two months ago, DJT made the headlines after being rumored to have been launched by 18-year-old Barron Trump. At the time, other Trump-inspired tokens, including the MAGA (TRUMP), crashed by over 30%.
However, it was later revealed that the token was created and run by "Pharma bro" Martin Shkreli. Following the RTR debacle, Donald Trump Jr. spoke about cryptocurrencies inspired by his father. He stated that he has "nothing to talk about" regarding these tokens.
He also deemed people assuming that all Trump-themed tokens are linked to the family as the problem. The businessman clarified that he loves and respects memecoin culture, but they are not the crypto project they have been teasing.