Hassan Maishera
TL;DR
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Hunter Biden’s LAPTOP memecoin plunged roughly 97% within hours of its launch on the Base blockchain.
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The token, which has a maximum supply of one billion, drew significant attention and criticism before its debut.
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Despite allocations for community airdrops, charity initiatives, and founder vesting, LAPTOP’s dramatic early collapse highlights the extreme volatility and speculative risks surrounding politically themed memecoins.
Hunter Biden’s newly launched LAPTOP memecoin suffered a dramatic collapse within hours of its debut on Wednesday, highlighting the extreme volatility surrounding politically themed cryptocurrencies.
The token, named after the laptop at the center of years of political controversy involving the son of former U.S. President Joe Biden, launched on the Base blockchain on September 9. Biden promoted the project as a memecoin centered on “resilience, redemption, and recovery.”
However, LAPTOP’s debut quickly turned negative, with the token reportedly plunging roughly 97% from its early trading peak within hours. At press time, LAPTOP is trading at $5.19 after hitting $190 earlier today.
The sharp reversal shows the risks associated with newly launched memecoins, where thin liquidity and speculative trading can produce enormous price swings.
The crash also saw several traders and investors record massive losses, with a trader losing $197,000 within hours.
Don't FOMO!
— Lookonchain (@lookonchain) September 9, 2026
This guy turned $200K into just $3K by FOMOing into @HunterBiden's $LAPTOP.
He withdrew $250K from #Binance in advance to buy $LAPTOP as soon as it launched.
He ended up spending $200K to buy 919 $LAPTOP at a high price of $218, which is now worth only $3K.… pic.twitter.com/JLgqlotPyI
LAPTOP Introduces Burn-or-Charity Mechanism
The collapse comes despite significant attention surrounding the launch. LAPTOP has a maximum supply of one billion tokens, with 30% allocated to founders, including Biden. Those tokens are subject to a six-month lockup followed by a vesting period lasting two years.
Another 20% of the supply has been allocated for community distribution. According to Biden, some tokens will be airdropped to subscribers of his “Where’s Hunter?” Substack, while 2% of the total supply is earmarked for wallets that suffered losses trading President Donald Trump’s TRUMP memecoin.
The project also features an unusual burn-or-charity mechanism covering 30% of the supply. Tokens will either be burned or donated to charity depending on the outcome of 30 predetermined events, including political developments and cryptocurrency-market milestones.
Political Memecoins Continue to Face Extreme Volatility
LAPTOP faced criticism from crypto traders even before trading began. The backlash prompted crypto exchange Kraken to remove a promotional post, while video journalist Andrew Callaghan’s Channel 5 publicly distanced itself from the project.
The token’s rapid decline adds LAPTOP to a growing list of politically linked memecoins that have experienced sharp post-launch losses. Trump’s TRUMP token, for example, has fallen nearly 97% from its January 2025 record high.
LAPTOP’s poor debut now raises questions about whether the token can build a sustainable trading community after its initial burst of speculation.
