Veteran trader Peter Brandt delivered a sharp critique of Bitcoin holders this week. According to posts on X, Brandt, a septuagenarian with more than 800,000 followers, lashed out at those who “hodl” through thick and thin.

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He called them “a bunch of idiots who borrow money to buy pizza.” His message was blunt. He urged people to “get a life,” warning that faith in Bitcoin as a cure-all will leave many disappointed.

I have had it up to the tip of my head with people on Twitter X

Have a nice life

— Peter Brandt (@PeterLBrandt) August 5, 2025

Trader Slams Hodl Mentality

Brandt argued that Bitcoin is “just an asset” and nothing more. He stressed that treating it like a miracle fix gives the crypto community a bad image.

Reports have disclosed that he’s grown tired of endless debates online. “I have had it up to the tip of my head with people on Twitter X,” Brandt wrote, suggesting that constant arguing was driving him up the wall. His tone left little room for polite debate.

A counter to the Bitcoin “Hodl-or-does-not-count” crowd
I began futures trading in 1975 at the Chicago Board of Trade with maybe a thousand dollars in my checking account and little to no savings
If Bitcoin has been around at the time and I would have put all my money into it I…

— Peter Brandt (@PeterLBrandt) August 5, 2025

Overnight, replies flooded in. Some praised his honesty. Others snapped back with equally harsh words. Others defended Bitcoin as more than charts and price swings.

The back-and-forth underscored a split: traders who focus on risk and charts versus holders who see crypto as a movement.

Community Pushback On X

Across the crypto world, Brandt’s comments stirred a wave of reactions. According to data on social media engagement, his post attracted hundreds of replies within hours.

Many messages mixed humor and anger, with memes featuring pizza and margin calls. Others pointed to Bitcoin’s gains this year, noting it has climbed more than 50% since January. That rise fueled confidence among hodlers—and a readiness to push back against Brandt’s barbs.

Despite the heat, Brandt held his ground. He pressed on, saying that tying one’s identity too closely to Bitcoin’s price is a mistake.

His warning was an echo of a broader caution in trading circles: markets can turn on a dime. Brandt’s straight talk cut through hype and spin, but it also risked widening the gap between chart watchers and true believers.

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Bitcoin is an asset, circulating on a network, governed by a protocol, and rooted in ideology.

— Michael Saylor (@saylor) August 6, 2025

Saylor Offers A Balanced View

In the face of the storm, US President Donald Trump’s former business confidante Michael Saylor weighed in—though without naming Brandt directly.

Based on reports, Saylor described Bitcoin as “an asset, circulating on a network, governed by a protocol, and rooted in ideology.”

He struck a middle ground by acknowledging both the market’s technical side and its passionate supporters.

Featured image from Pexels, chart from TradingView

This week has been interesting for crypto enthusiasts with Trump’s presidency being at the center of the developments. The hype surrounding the US first family’s PolitiFi tokens and the subsequent surge in the bullish market sentiment bolstered Bitcoin price to a fresh all-time high on Monday. 

However, BTC/USD and other cryptos have since pulled back as interest in the PolitiFi tokens fades and market volatility eases. Even so, iDEGEN remains steady. Notably, the project’s resilience is founded on its appeal beyond its virality. It bears immense potential to revolutionize the AI meme coin space and broader crypto market.

Bitcoin price pulls back as interest in PolitiFi tokens fades

On Friday last week, the US president launched his meme coin, $Trump. In less than 24 hours, feverish buying among meme coin enthusiasts had the crypto’s market cap surpass $5 billion. 

Two days later, the US first lady, Melania Trump launched $Melania. As the hype surrounding this meme coin eases, its value has dropped from $2.21 billion on Monday to a market cap of $756.59 million. Besides, over the past 24 hours, its price has dropped by 8.84% with its trading volume falling by 72.71% during this timeframe.

Similarly, as at the time of writing, $Trump was at a market cap of $8.32 billion with its trading volume down by 40% over the past 24 hours. Indeed, this is a significant drop from the $14.30 billion market cap recorded at the start of the week. 

Evidently, the Trump wind that propelled Bitcoin to a fresh all-time high of $109,026.02 isn’t strong enough to sustain it there. At the time of this publication, the crypto major was at $104,969.82 as the bulls strive to break the resistance at around $106,500. 

In the short term, BTC/USD will likely continue to find support at $102,090 as a crypto-friendly US administration strengthens the bullish sentiment. With more buyers riding the wave, the bulls may gather enough momentum to break the resistance at $106,500 to the next target at $108,080. On the flip side, a corrective pullback past the current trading range may have it finding support at $99,700.

Storm sweeping across new meme coins leaves iDEGEN untouched

The highly volatile $Trump and $Melania coins remain subject to the all-so-common pump and dump wave in the absence of a fresh catalyst. Indeed, the tokens are in consolidation as meme coin enthusiasts look past the recent swearing in ceremony.

As the dust settles, crypto majors and meme coins alike are recording corrective pullbacks. For instance, Solana, which largely benefitted from the launch of $Trump, is down from the new all-time high it hit on Sunday at $295.83 to $262.53 at the time of this press release. Similarly, DOGE/USD was down from the 6-week high it reached on Saturday at $0.4350 to $0.3627.

Amid this storm, iDEGEN has continued to thrive. With slightly over a month left before its listing, the project has raised over $17.65 million in its unique presale auction. Besides, about two months since its launch, its toke price has increased from $0.0001 to $0.0133. 

Notably, its pricing model is one of the aspects that continue to fuel its appeal among everyday investors and monied individuals alike. In most cases, the creators come up with random figures that do not necessarily match the project’s value or demand 

In comparison, $IDGN’s token price moves on the principle of transparency. In the initial phase of its auction, the dynamic pricing model ensured that the token’s price moved in tandem with its demand. 

The project has since shifted to a stage-based model ahead of its listing on 27th February. The team justified this move on X stating, 

“While the dynamic auction has been well received, we’ve heard your feedback, and know some of you are concerned about price manipulation and bad actors pushing prices up with small SOL buys. It’s believed that the price manipulation was aimed at driving the listing price as high as possible. To fix this, we’re making things simpler so its easier for everyone to track the presale and make better decisions”. 

The shift further proves that iDEGEN is keen on transforming the AI meme coin space without dismissing its community in the process. It is this reliability that has attracted the over 20,000 holders to the project. With close to 12,000% in returns, these early adopters are already sitting on hefty profits. 

Read more on how to buy iDEGEN token.

Ripple price holds steady above $3 on investor confidence

Ripple price chart by TradingView

Ripple price has been trading above the crucial level fo $3 since the beginning of the week. The rallying has been fueled by the swearing in of a pro-crypto US president and the subsequent surge in investor confidence.

President Trump, who has evolved into a supporter and investor of crypto is expected to create and sustain an environment upon which the digital assets will thrive. Indeed, two days after returning to the Oval Office, he is already lowering the regulatory barriers.

Acting SEC Cair, Mark Uyeda has launched a crypto task force meant to develop a clear and detailed regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies. This approach is different from Biden’s administration which included an “anti-crypto” SEC Chair, Gary Gensler. 

Seeing that Ripple price was largely burdened by regulatory struggles during the past government, it is set to continue on its uptrend on the back of heightened investor confidence. In the short term, the range between $2.82 and $3.40 will be worth watching.