Bitcoin falls below $90,000 as US escalates military action in Venezuela

US President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, late Friday night, the POTUS confirmed through his platform Truth Social. The timing of the incident has not fared well for Bitcoin, which slipped below $90,000 after trading above the price mark for the better part of Friday’s trading hours.

As confirmed by CBS News, US troops captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and flew him outside the country in the company of his wife. Local news outlets reported that several explosions were heard around 1:50 AM local time on Saturday (12:50 AM Eastern Time).

STATEMENT FROM PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP pic.twitter.com/nHDqtsqRFh

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 3, 2026

Trump wrote on Truth Social that “further details would follow,” and he would hold a press briefing at his Mar-a-Lago residence at 11 AM ET.  The US also seized two Venezuelan oil tankers in recent weeks, launched strikes on more than 30 vessels allegedly carrying drugs, and hit “the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs.”

Maduro denied all accusations of drug trafficking or collaboration with terrorist organizations.

Venezuela’s president captured: What it means for crypto

Just two hours after news about the Venezuelan air strikes broke, Bitcoin slipped downwards to $89,571, from nearly $91,000 the previous day. Several market analysts believe any form of war in the West, the purported “hotbed” for crypto adoption, is extremely bearish for digital assets just three days into the new year.

“Oh, is Bitcoin back over 90K? It would be a real shame if someone… BOMBED VENEZUELA. Notice that all of the bullshit happens on Friday nights because Trump wants stock markets to have 48 hours to absorb the news,” Bitcoin investor Lark Davis surmised.

According to market observer Ether Rawl, during Israel’s attack on Gaza in October 2023, Bitcoin dropped approximately 5% in the days following. He suggested the Venezuela strikes could push the king coin below the weekly 100 EMA, slightly under $86,000, and it is still unknown if a recovery will materialize.

Trading group Money Ape sees the US-Venezuela tussle as a war on Bitcoin and crypto, and is adamant President Trump has chosen to take custody of Maduro now because “he is manipulating the market.” 

BREAKING:

🇺🇸 US is attacking Venezuela.

And it's happening exactly when crypto is trying to recover.

F*cking tired of this shit now.

— Ash Crypto (@AshCrypto) January 3, 2026

The US dollar fell to around 98.2 on the first trading day of 2026, after counting a 9% annual loss in 2025. A fall in the greenback’s value would mean the crypto market is ready for a comeback under normal conditions, but with the war on Venezuela in play, Bitcoin bulls might not have enough in their tank to shake off end-2025’s bearish effects. 

“I am still long until 94k at least. The only problem I see is the war between Trump and Venezuela. If the conflict escalates, we’re going to have choppy price action,” economist Market Hokkage predicts.

Political backlash from Liberals in the United States

Before today’s events, congressional Democrats and some Republicans had attempted to limit Trump’s military options in Venezuela. They had been seeking to take away the POTUS’ powers through a congressional plea and forced votes in both the House and Senate, all of which were unsuccessful.

Democratic Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona, a US Marine Corps veteran and part of the brigade against President Trump, wrote on X earlier today that the strikes are “illegal” and “the second unjustified war in his lifetime.”

According to TRM Labs’ Country Crypto Adoption Index, Venezuela rose to 11th place globally in 2025, up from 14th in 2024, with just 27 million and a per capita GDP of $3,100. Venezuelans are using cryptocurrencies to preserve savings and to shield themselves from an unstable, inflation-ridden economy. 

The Trump critics propounded that airstrikes could stifle a growing crypto economy and destroy its oil economy that is already entangled with USDT.

“If the United States succeeds in imposing control over Venezuela, and by extension over the world’s largest proven oil reserves, it will mark a major shift in global power. What happens in Venezuela will not stay in Latin America. It will shape the limits of American power, and the direction of geopolitical confrontation far beyond Caracas,” said Iranian journalist Ibrahim Majed.

Still, trading veteran Ted Pillows is asking the community “not to panic,” advising them to “reduce their leverage positions and protect their capital.”>

Still, trading veteran Ted Pillows is asking the community “not to panic,” advising them to “reduce their leverage positions and protect their capital.”ect their capital.”

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