Crypto markets were already on edge heading into President Donald Trump's 9 PM EST primetime address to the nation from the White House.
Onchain analysts spotted a large Ethereum move into Binance — the kind of transfer traders often associate with potential selling pressure, even when intentions are unclear.
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Trump's 9 PM address adds a fresh macro "event risk" for crypto
Trump said he would deliver "an ADDRESS TO THE NATION tomorrow night, LIVE FROM THE WHITE HOUSE, at 9 P.M. EST," in a Truth Social post on Dec. 16.
The president did not specify a topic for the address, leaving markets to price in uncertainty ahead of the broadcast.
For crypto traders, high-profile political speeches can act like sudden volatility triggers, not necessarily because of direct crypto policy, but because they can shift expectations around the dollar, rates, risk appetite and market regulation.
That dynamic can lead some participants to cut leverage or reduce exposure ahead of time.
Crypto whale exits 10,169 ETH position
On Dec. 17, hours before Trump's 9 p.m. address to the nation, blockchain analytics account Lookonchain reported that a whale wallet "fully exited 10,169 $ETH ($29.7M)" and claimed:
"Over the past 3 years, the whale has made a total profit of $11.36M trading $ETH."
The post linked to Arkham Intelligence, where the address page shows a transfer of 10,169 ETH to a Binance deposit destination in recent activity.
At the time of writing, Ether was trading at $3,014, up 1.8% in a day. Bitcoin was trading at $90,051, up 2.51% in the past 24 hours.
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What this could mean for crypto market
Large holders - often called "crypto whales" - can influence liquidity and short-term price action simply by moving size, especially around major headline events.
In practice, traders tend to read whale deposits to exchanges as a potentially bearish signal (possible selling), while withdrawals from exchanges are often seen as more bullish (potential long-term holding).
But those signals can be noisy: whales also move funds for custody changes, collateral management, OTC settlement, or strategic rotation.
With Trump's address set for 9 p.m. ET, traders will likely watch two things closely: whether more large wallets send crypto to exchanges in the hours before the speech, and whether derivatives markets show signs of rapid deleveraging.
If the address surprises markets, even without mentioning crypto, price action may come less from the words themselves and more from how positioned traders were beforehand.
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This story was originally published by TheStreet on Dec 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the MARKETS section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
