XRP Just Broke $1 For the First Time Since Trump Won, and 200,000 Tokens Were Stolen Doing It
200,000 XRP was stolen during the same session that wiped out one of crypto's most psychologically important price levels.
XRP slipped below $1 during Tuesday's session, touching $0.99 at its lowest point. That number matters more than it sounds. The $1 threshold had held since November 2024, when Donald Trump's election victory lit a fire under the entire altcoin market. XRP was one of the biggest winners of that rally. Now, that entire narrative is being tested.
The Floor Everyone Trusted Just Cracked
Post-election optimism around XRP was built on real catalysts: the anticipated resolution of the SEC lawsuit, speculation around a potential XRP spot ETF, and growing institutional interest in Ripple's payment infrastructure. Bulls held $1 as their line in the sand.
That line is gone.
Data from CryptoSlate confirms the drop is not just a wick. Selling pressure has deepened across multiple sessions, and leverage is rebuilding on the short side. When bearish bets surge alongside a key level breaking, that is not a healthy consolidation. That is a momentum shift.
The Theft Nobody Led With
Buried inside the same 24-hour window: 200,000 XRP was stolen. Details on the vector remain limited, but the timing could not be worse for sentiment. A high-profile theft during a price breakdown feeds the exact narrative bears need to push further. It signals vulnerability, attracts negative attention, and shakes retail confidence at the worst possible moment.
This is not the first time bad news has compounded a technical breakdown in crypto. It rarely ends quickly when it happens.
What the Chart Is Actually Saying
Breaking a level that held for roughly six months, during one of the most bullish periods in XRP's history, is a significant signal. The $1 zone was not just a round number. It represented the market's collective belief that Trump-era optimism was still priced in.
If that optimism is unwinding, $0.99 is not the floor. Traders will be watching the $0.85 to $0.88 range next, which served as resistance before the November breakout.
What to Watch Right Now
XRP holders need to monitor whether the asset can reclaim $1 on meaningful volume within the next 48 hours. A failed retest of that level would confirm it has flipped from support to resistance, a textbook bearish structure.
Short interest is rising. A key level has broken. Tokens are being stolen. Until XRP closes a daily candle back above $1 with conviction, the path of least resistance is lower.