MELANIA token jumps 13% after White House documentary screening amid rising open interest

MELANIA, a celebrity-linked meme token launched alongside the TRUMP token before the January 2025 inauguration, rallied about 13% to $0.1645 after a private White House screening of Brett Ratner’s documentary about Melania Trump and related social media promotion by former President Trump. Coinglass data show MELANIA derivatives open interest rose roughly 17% in 24 hours, signaling increased leverage and speculative activity. Despite the short-term spike, MELANIA remains down about 98% from its January 2025 all-time high; TRUMP is down roughly 93% and trading near $4.75. Critics including Anthony Scaramucci call these “gambling tokens” and warn that tying crypto projects to political figures raises reputational and regulatory risks. A Forbes report linked part of Trump’s reported net-worth increase to crypto ventures, including meme coins. Key takeaways for traders: event-driven publicity can produce rapid, short-lived price moves; rising open interest increases liquidation risk and volatility; both tokens show extreme long-term drawdowns and remain high-risk, speculative instruments.
Neutral
The news is neutral for price direction over a sustained period but has clear short-term bullish catalysts. The private White House screening and social media promotion created event-driven demand that pushed MELANIA up ~13%, and a 17% rise in derivatives open interest indicates increased speculative leverage. Those factors typically support short-term price spikes. However, the token remains down ~98% from its all-time high and shows extreme long-term drawdown and volatility, which limits any sustained bullish case. Rising open interest also raises liquidation risk, making the asset more prone to sharp reversals. Regulatory, reputational and fundamental concerns tied to politically linked meme tokens add downside risk over the medium-to-long term. For traders: expect high intraday and weekly volatility and treat moves as short-term, event-driven opportunities rather than signals of durable recovery.