Trump’s Tariffs Tighten the Vise on Bitcoin Miners, Warns Braiins Exec

A Fresh Blow to Bitcoin Mining

The Bitcoin mining ecosystem, already battered by slim margins, now faces a new hurdle: President Donald Trump’s sweeping trade tariffs. Announced on April 2, 2025, these measures slap a 10% levy on all U.S. imports, with steeper “reciprocal” tariffs targeting key trading partners—34% extra on China, 32% on Taiwan, and 25% on South Korea. For an industry reliant on imported hardware, this could spell trouble, warns Kristian Csepcsar, chief marketing officer at Braiins, a leading Bitcoin mining tech firm. “It will take a decade for the U.S. to catch up with cutting-edge chip manufacturing,” he told Cointelegraph, predicting short-term losses for miners worldwide—and a potential setback for Trump’s vision of U.S. mining dominance.

Miners Already on the Ropes

Bitcoin (BTC, $82,672 as of April 4) miners are no strangers to lean times. Csepcsar points to hashprice—the daily revenue per terahash of mining power—as the pulse of the industry. Since 2022, it’s been sliding, hitting a grim $50 low in 2024 and lingering at $53 on March 30, per Bitbo data. “Hashprice is the key metric miners track for their bottom line—how many dollars one terahash earns a day—and it’s at all-time lows, ever,” he said. This profitability crunch, worsened by rising energy costs and post-halving economics, leaves miners vulnerable. Now, Trump’s tariffs pile on, hiking the cost of ASIC rigs from giants like China’s Bitmain, already burdened by a 20% Biden-era tariff now bumped to 54% total.

Bitcoin hashprice since late 2013. Source: Bitbo

Global Supply Chain Stranglehold

The U.S. hosts homegrown mining outfits like Auradine, but Csepcsar notes a harsh reality: “It’s still not possible to make the whole supply chain, including materials, U.S.-based.” Cutting-edge chips—the lifeblood of modern mining—pour out of Taiwan and South Korea, now slapped with 32% and 25% tariffs, respectively. China’s Bitmain, the world’s ASIC kingpin, faces that 34% hike atop existing levies, prompting retaliatory tariffs from Beijing on April 4. “Companies, including American ones, lose in the short term,” Csepcsar said, citing Summer Meng of Bitmars, a Chinese supplier, who’d flagged rising costs under Biden. Trump’s escalation only tightens the screws.

Source: Summer Meng

A Shifting Global Landscape

As U.S. miners grapple with pricier gear, Csepcsar sees a power shift brewing. Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) nations like Russia and Kazakhstan—flush with cheap energy and lighter tariffs—are ramping up mining efforts. “If this trade war drags on, these regions could see a major boom and overtake the U.S. in hashrate dominance,” he cautioned. The U.S., which hosts 37% of global hashrate per Cambridge data, risks ceding ground if costs spiral. Trump’s June 2024 pledge to make America the “Bitcoin mining capital” now hangs in the balance, clashing with tariffs that could stifle his own industry allies.

Crypto Community Divided

The crypto world’s buzzing over these tariffs. Some, like BitMEX’s Arthur Hayes (see prior coverage), cheer them as a Bitcoin boon, betting on Fed easing to offset pain. Others, including X posters, fret over supply chain chaos—U.S. firms reportedly rushed ASIC imports from Southeast Asia pre-tariff, per April 4 chatter. Csepcsar lands in the latter camp, warning of immediate damage. “Miners are already struggling,” he said, noting hashprice’s dire straits. A decade-long lag in domestic chip production means no quick fix—leaving miners to eat higher costs or scale back.

Source: jmhorp

Trump’s Crypto Conundrum

Trump’s tariff blitz jars with his pro-crypto pivot. From hosting miners at Mar-a-Lago in 2024 to signing a Bitcoin reserve order in March 2025, he’s courted the industry—yet these policies could undermine it. “It’s a paradox,” Csepcsar implied, as tariffs threaten the very ecosystem Trump champions. With China’s retaliation and CIS nations circling, the U.S. The mining edge hangs by thread. For now, Bitcoin miners brace for a tariff squeeze—hoping resilience, not retreat, defines their next chapter.