A newly created crypto trading account placed a large Bitcoin short minutes before U.S. President Donald Trump announced 100% tariffs on Chinese imports, triggering suspicion of insider trading.
The trader made an estimated $192 million in under two hours as Bitcoin fell sharply after the announcement, according to on-chain data.
To this end, Blockchain records linked to Hyperliquid, a decentralized derivatives exchange, show the account was opened only hours before the trade.
Shortly after, the trader opened a heavily leveraged Bitcoin short position roughly 30 minutes before Trump revealed the tariff policy. The timing aligned precisely with the announcement that triggered the largest crypto liquidation event of 2025.
Additionally, on-chain data shows profits climbing from under $40 million to more than $104 million within hours, with a 24-hour realized PnL of $88.5 million.
Transaction logs reveal rapid withdrawals shortly after the trades closed, including multiple USDC transfers of $9.99 million each, suggesting a deliberate attempt to move funds quickly.
Profiting from violent crypto crash
Notably, the gains were made during a violent correction in the cryptocurrency market following Trump’s tariff move targeting Chinese goods and technology exports.
Bitcoin dropped sharply, threatening to lose the $110,000 support level as global markets sold off. The broader crypto sector saw more than $19 billion in leveraged positions liquidated in a single day, wiping over $400 billion from total market capitalization.
As a result, the trader’s profit, earned by shorting Bitcoin ahead of the crash, has raised questions about access to market-moving political information.
The scale and timing of the trade, combined with the account’s sudden creation, has sparked scrutiny across crypto circles.
While the trader’s identity remains unknown, the precise execution and immediate withdrawals point to a highly sophisticated strategy or possible access to privileged information.
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