Here’s what happened in crypto today

Today in crypto, economist and author of The Bitcoin Standard, Saifedean Ammous, said US President Donald Trump’s decision to reverse higher tariffs was likely a reaction to rising bond yields and exposed weaknesses in the US economy, Strike founder Jack Mallers is set to lead a crypto firm set to compete with Michael Saylor’s Strategy, and Trump is hosting a dinner for top holders of his memecoin.Trump fought the bond market, the bond market won: Saifedean AmmousAnalysts are criticizing the financial implications of Trump’s import tariffs, a development that some say highlights Bitcoin’s (BTC) unique economic properties during times of global uncertainty.Trump’s 90-day pause on higher reciprocal tariffs, reverting them to a 10% baseline for most countries except China, has exposed vulnerabilities in the US bond market, according to critics.Economist and author of The Bitcoin Standard, Saifedean Ammous, said Trump’s decision to reverse the higher tariffs was likely a reaction to rising bond yields, suggesting the administration’s hand was forced.“Trump fought the bond market and the bond market won,” Ammous said in an April 23 X post. “The gambit seemed to work for the first day, and the huge crash in the stock market was presented as a small price to pay for fiscal sustainability.“But then the bonds began to crash, and it became clear how disastrous the tariffs were, and how wrong it was to expect that deliberately crashing the stock market would boost the bond market,” he added.Strike’s Jack Mallers to head firm seeking superior Bitcoin play to MSTRTwenty One Capital, a new Bitcoin treasury company led by Strike founder Jack Mallers with the support of Tether, SoftBank and Cantor Fitzgerald, is looking to supplant Michael Saylor’s Strategy to become the “superior vehicle for investors seeking capital-efficient Bitcoin exposure.”Wow. @jackmallers absolutely smashed this interview. pic.twitter.com/CNY6n1esvBTwenty One revealed it plans to launch with 42,000 Bitcoin (worth $3.9 billion) with roughly 23,950 BTC coming from Tether, 10,500 BTC from Softbank and 7,000 BTC from Bitfinex, which will be converted into equity at $10 per share, according to an April 23 statement.“Our mission is simple: to become the most successful company in Bitcoin, the most valuable financial opportunity of our time. We’re not here to beat the market, we’re here to build a new one,” said Mallers, the founder and CEO of Bitcoin payments-focused firm Strike.“A public stock, built by Bitcoiners, for Bitcoiners.”Top TRUMP tokenholders revealed? US President to host memecoin dinnerSome of the top holders of Donald Trump’s memecoin could come out of the shadows to appear for a dinner the US President is planning to host on May 22.As of April 23, the official Trump memecoin (TRUMP) website offered the opportunity for the “top 220” holders to meet the president in person at his golf club in Washington, DC. At the time of publication, the guest list for the event was unclear, but the project stated any tokenholder who applied had to pass a background check, “can not be from a [Know Your Customer] watchlist country,” and could not have any additional guests.The memecoin, which the then-president-elect launched on Jan. 17 before taking office, has been heavily criticized by the crypto industry and lawmakers for potentially allowing foreign officials and interest groups to send money directly to the US President without proper disclosure and oversight. The team behind the project controls 80% of the total supply, while the identities of many of the other top tokenholders are mainly unknown.The price of the TRUMP memecoin surged roughly 52% from $9.30 to $14.20 shortly after the dinner announcement. After the token launched on Jan. 17, the project’s market capitalization increased to roughly $15 billion before dropping more than 50% by Jan. 20.