TRUMP skyrockets, BONK rides a wave of momentum

Hours after President Donald Trump's fiery exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House

If there’s one thing traders love more than a political spectacle, it’s a chance to turn it into profit.

Hours after President Donald Trump’s fiery exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House – an event some senators are already calling a “complete and utter disaster” – memecoins erupted in a frenzy of volatility. TRUMP skyrocketed, BONK rode a huge wave of momentum, while PEPE and MELANIA found themselves on the losing end of the trade.

The last 12 hours have revealed a clear trend – Traders aren’t just betting on memecoins, they’re betting on narratives. And today, the biggest winners were the ones with chaos on their side.

TRUMP rallies on political chaos, while BONK rides short-term momentum

Donald Trump’s influence on the memecoin market remains evident. Following his heated exchange with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the TRUMP token surged, clocking in at 7.95% over the last hour.

This spike suggested that traders continue to treat Trump-related volatility as a bullish signal for his namesake coin, capitalizing on real-world political drama to drive speculation.

This unfolded despite a bleak outlook on the broader memecoin market. While some tokens managed to post gains, the overall trend skewed south as traders booked profits and liquidity flowed out of the sector.

However, in a surprising turn of events, BONK saw an hour price increase of 4.13% at the last check, despite a lack of clear catalyst. The move appears to be driven purely by momentum, with traders rotating into the asset following recent declines. Over the past week, BONK has shed 11% of its value, making it one of the weaker performers in the memecoins space.

But its short-term rebound suggested that speculative interest remains, even as the broader trend skewed south.

Both tokens' movements reinforced the market’s sensitivity to hype and rapid capital rotation. While TRUMP’s rally had a narrative driver, BONK’s uptick seemed to reflect traders chasing quick reversals.

DOGE and SHIB hold steady as PEPE and MELANIA falter

While speculative traders piled into TRUMP and BONK, the sector’s largest memecoins – DOGE and SHIB – remained relatively stable, proving once again that they function as "anchors" during periods of heightened volatility. At press time, DOGE dipped by 0.62%, while SHIB clocked in at 0.50% — a stark contrast to the sharper swings seen in smaller tokens.

This seems to be in line with historical patterns wherein DOGE and SHIB serve as safer bets when traders rotate in and out of riskier assets.

On the flip side, both PEPE and MELANIA struggled to keep pace with the broader market rally, suggesting that profit-taking and liquidity outflows hit these assets harder than others. PEPE slumped by 3.18%, while MELANIA saw the sharpest decline at 5.56%.

With traders chasing momentum elsewhere, both tokens saw diminishing demand — the hype seems to have disappeared as quickly as it arrived.

Memecoins – The test of sustainability

The key question now is whether this memecoin rally has real legs or if it's just another fleeting liquidity-driven spike. TRUMP and BONK's gains look impressive on the hourly chart, but are they backed by sustained volume and follow-through price action?

History suggests caution. Especially since previous intraday surges have often led to sharp reversals once momentum traders exit.

At press time, DOGE and SHIB's steadiness hinted at a lack of broad market conviction, while PEPE and MELANIA's declines suggested selective capital rotation rather than a sector-wide breakout. The next few hours will determine whether this move has staying power or fades into retracement.