What would happen to crypto if Trump dies, or get impeached?

If Donald Trump dropped dead today or got removed, the entire crypto market would go straight into chaos. First, there’d be blind panic. Crypto traders get more and more irrational by the day; it’s truly astonishing.

Legally, here’s what happens. If the president dies, the 25th Amendment makes the vice president the new president on the spot. If Trump gets impeached, it doesn’t mean he’s out. The Senate needs two-thirds of the vote to convict and remove him. And if that happens, it’s the same thing. The VP takes over. That’s JD Vance.

Trump’s health is evidently deteriorating. His physician, Dr. Sean Barbabella last year listed a “notable” past medical history of: well-controlled hypercholesterolemia, seasonal allergies, prior COVID-19 infection, rosacea, actinic keratosis, benign nevi, diverticulosis, and a benign colon polyp.

The same memo lists current medications as rosuvastatin, ezetimibe, aspirin (for “cardiac prevention”), and mometasone cream (as needed).

Vitals and testing in that memo describe normal EKG/echocardiogram, normal cardiac function, and a normal neuro exam with a MoCA 30/30.

In Trump’s July 2025 health update released after swelling/bruising chatter, the doctor wrote that he had mild swelling in his lower legs and Doppler ultrasounds showed chronic venous insufficiency, described as benign and common in people over 70, with no evidence of deep vein thrombosis or arterial disease.

That memo also says lab work and cardiac markers were “within normal limits,” and an echocardiogram showed normal structure/function, with no signs of heart failure, kidney impairment, or systemic illness allegedly.

Crypto plunges fast if Trump exits suddenly

Traders won’t wait for official press releases if an impeachment goes through, though. In the first 72 hours, you’d get long red candles, thin books, and nonstop liquidations. Altcoins usually get hit the hardest. Bitcoin would hold up slightly better, but only barely.

There might be a rush into stablecoins, but if traders think the new White House could go after stablecoin rails, then even that’s shaky.

Derivatives would spike across the board, funding rates too. And basis trades would break, while cascading liquidations crush leverage, and liquidity just… disappears.

That’s just the start. If Trump is impeached but not removed, you’re stuck in a long political mess. And markets don’t care if it’s impeachment or heart failure. The key is whether the power vacuum lasts too long. Markets hate that.

Everyone will be watching what JD Vance does in his first two days. If he says nothing or gets too busy trying to put out the fire, then panic drags on. If he gets in front of cameras and says “we’re keeping the policy,” that could calm things faster.

But no one’s waiting for him to figure it out. Brian Armstrong and the Winklevoss boys might have to quickly buy us out again.

Traders watch for signs JD Vance keeps Trump’s policies

For all his faults (and there really are so very many of them), Trump did make history as the first pro-crypto US president. Nothing can take that from him.

On January 23, 2025, he signed an executive order that set up a full White House crypto task force, and also approved a plan to build a U.S. Bitcoin reserve using government-held and seized crypto.

Granted, none of Trump’s efforts have translated into anything concrete, but hey, he has been busy starting wars and illegally invading countries. He will get to us eventually… if he doesn’t run out of time.

Under SEC Chair Paul Atkins, enforcement took a back seat. The agency dropped cases, including one against Binance, and gave the market breathing room. The DOJ also backed off, pushing a memo to stop “regulation by prosecution.” Whether people liked it or not, traders treated that like a green light.

If Trump dies, and JD keeps all of this going, markets may recover fast. We know that JD Vance is pro-crypto, in that as of November, his most recent federal financial disclosures showed he still owns between $250,001 and $500,000 in Bitcoin held through a Coinbase account.

But impeachment is a different game. The House would have to pass it first, and even that’s tight. The recent death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa cut the Republican majority to 218–213, making every vote matter. Even if the House does it, the Senate won’t convict, at least not in 2026 anyway.

Right now, there’s only a 16% chance of Trump being impeached by the end of 2026 on Polymarket.