The brief rumor of a 90-day pause from Trump’s tariffs caused the markets to rally significantly. However, the White House squashed these rumors, fueling further crashes.

This highlights a genuine desperation in the markets as traders try to regain some bullish momentum and prevent a recession.

Trump Tariff Fakeout

The threat of Trump’s tariffs is closer than ever, and it’s causing a “Black Monday” event in the crypto markets. Bitcoin dipped below $80,000, and over $1 billion was liquidated from crypto.

However, one of the President’s advisors, Kevin Hassett, suggested this morning that he might be having second thoughts:

“Would Trump consider a 90-day pause in tariffs?’ ‘I think the president is gonna decide what the president is gonna decide … even if you think there will be some negative effect from the trade side, that’s still a small share of GDP,’” Hassett said in an interview.

This news quickly began recirculating, claiming that Trump was seriously considering a 90-day pause in tariffs. This created a huge rally in traditional markets, with the S&P 500 shooting up 6% in seconds. This rally turned on a dime to a certain extent, falling again quickly.

Following the rumor, XRP rallied nearly 10% to hit $2, while Bitcoin rebounded back to $80,000. Both assets have declined again due to the lack of credibility of the news. Overall, the volatility has been extremely chaotic in the crypto market today.

In his interview, Hassett did not make any firm commitments that Trump is considering pausing tariffs. His response focused mostly on ongoing negotiations and assertions that the tariffs would have a limited impact.

Shortly afterward, the White House officially denied any knowledge of a 90-day pause. They are still set to begin in two days.

Changpeng ‘CZ’ Zhao, the founder of Binance, has reportedly taken on a new role as Strategic Advisor to the Pakistan Crypto Council. 

Pakistan’s local media suggests that the appointment was confirmed during a meeting held in Islamabad with top government officials.

CZ Joins Pakistan Crypto Council

The Finance Minister, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, reportedly led the session. Other attendees included the heads of Pakistan’s key financial and regulatory bodies—the Securities and Exchange Commission and the State Bank—and senior officials from the law and IT ministries.

According to the reports, Zhao also met separately with Pakistan’s Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister to discuss digital asset policy and blockchain adoption.

His involvement with Pakistan follows a recent agreement with the Kyrgyz Republic. There, he is advising on Web3 infrastructure and blockchain education.

Kyrgyzstan has also launched the A7A5 stablecoin, pegged to the Russian ruble. Both Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan are looking to develop their financial ecosystem around crypto to attract industry interest in the regions.

Meanwhile, CZ continues to engage with multiple governments on crypto regulation. He has been focused on building secure frameworks and enabling digital finance ecosystems.

BeInCrypto has contacted Binance about the reports and whether the company is involved in the initiative.