Between the stance of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) during President Biden’s term and President Donald Trump’s campaign promises, it is not difficult to see why many investors chose to turn bullish on Bitcoin (BTC) and other cryptocurrencies in November 2024.
Still, despite the optimism and a significant rally that followed the presidential race, the Republican billionaire’s second term has not been the flawless triumph for digital assets that many expected it to be.
Indeed, on November 4, election day, Bitcoin was changing hands at $67,811 while, at press time, the world’s premier cryptocurrency is at $80,509. Thus, a $1,000 investment made to celebrate the victory would, after a total 18.73% change, be worth $1,187.
Simultaneously, while trading in November 2024 would not have, by press time on May 13, 2026, yielded stellar returns, making a purchase during Donald Trump’s inauguration would have fared even worse.
Specifically, on January 20, 2025, Bitcoin was at $102,016, meaning it had fallen 21.08%, ensuring the hypothetical $1,000 investment would have turned to $789.18.
Here’s how top cryptocurrencies performed after President Trump’s election win
Other major cryptocurrencies tell a similar story to BTC. For example, Ethereum (ETH) was, on election day, at $2,397 and, at press time, it is at $2,283. Therefore, a $1,000 purchase would have become $952.44.
Solana (SOL) – one of the early movers in the bull market started in late 2023 – was at $157.75 when President Donald Trump won for the second time and is at $92.98 on May 13, 2026.
Thus, buying $1,000 worth of SOL on the day would have led to $410.59 in losses and turned into $589.41.
Lastly, XRP, arguably the biggest winner of the Republican victory among digital assets, was trading at approximately $0.50 on November 4, 2024. At press time, the token is at $1.43, meaning that a $1,000 investment would have become $2, 860for a total 186% gain.
S&P500 outperforms Bitcoin despite October BTC all-time high
Elsewhere, the volatility of digital assets ensures that merely examining two or three dates does not reveal the entire story. Indeed, while Bitcoin lost much of its value in the last six months, it notably achieved a new all-time high (ATH) above $125,000.
Thus, a $1,000 made in November of the latest election year did, at a point in time in October 2025, yield a return greater than 85% as it turned into more than $1,845.
Still, the volatility argument serves as something of a double-edged sword in 2026. Examining the 5-year performance of Bitcoin and the benchmark S&P500 stock market index reveals that the former is up 72.30% and the latter 77.32%.
Therefore, an investor could have achieved better results by holding one of the most conservative and low-risk assets available than by hodling BTC.
Featured image via Shutterstock
