United States President Donald Trump’s recent foray into the memecoin market drove Google search interest for the term “crypto” to its highest level since 2021.

On Jan. 18, Trump launched an official memecoin project just days before his inauguration. Following the launch of the Official Trump (TRUMP) token, First Lady Melania Trump also launched a self-titled memecoin, Melania Meme (MELANIA). Both crypto assets performed well during launch but eventually saw sharp declines. 

Google Trends data revealed a surge in search interest for “crypto” following Trump’s memecoin release. The term reached its peak since November 2021, when Bitcoin (BTC) hit an all-time high above $67,000.

Google search interest for the keyword “crypto.” Source: Google Trends

The keywords “memecoin,” “buy crypto” and “Solana” had similar surges in search interest at the time Trump released his official meme token.

The Trump memecoin effect 

Apart from search interest, the Trump memecoin also spurred a surge in interest in crypto-related apps. On Jan. 22, crypto-focused applications dominated the finance category of Apple’s App Store in the US. The top three applications included crypto trading platforms Crypto.com, Moonshot and Coinbase. 

Other apps like Coinbase Wallet, Robinhood, Binance.US, DEX Screener and Kraken also ranked among the top 30 free apps in the category. 

In addition, the memecoin release also caused new Solana addresses to reach a new all-time high. Data from digital asset custody service Copper.co showed that the daily number of new Solana addresses reached nearly nine million before Trump’s inauguration. 

In addition to boosting the popularity of crypto apps and the Solana network, Trump’s memecoin release attracted first-time crypto investors. On Jan. 20, a survey by NFT Evening showed that 42% of Trump memecoin buyers bought crypto for the first time. 

Related: Memecoins and art market share similar economics — Ki Young Ju

Trump memecoin comes with risks

While some perceived the Trump memecoin putting crypto in the limelight as a positive development, others think the event comes with its own risks. Crypto scam investigator Coffeezilla believes the memecoin launch “should be a crime.”  

On Jan. 22, California Representative Maxine Waters warned lawmakers that Trump’s memecoin potentially comes with risks to national security. 

Furthermore, not everyone who traded the memecoin had a happy ending. As the memecoin’s price dropped by 53% since its peak, community members reported millions in losses. 

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