Eric Trump's American Bitcoin Just Took A Massive Fall

Investors in Eric Trump's crypto mining business, American Bitcoin Corp. (ABTC), may find themselves shivering as its stock value tumbled by 35% on December, 2, 2025. In less than 30 minutes, Bloomberg reports, ABTC shares initially lost more than 50% of their value after closing at $3.58 the previous day. Its value did climb back up slightly in the following hours, reaching $2.33 by 2:30 p.m. Six days later, it closed at $2.02, showing further slippage. 

The force that reportedly triggered the December 2 selloff was the end to the company's equity lockup. This technique, often used in crypto investments, prevented ABTC investors from selling their shares for a certain time period, allowing the new asset to have time to price-stabilize. However, in the case of American Bitcoin, this meant that many investors were apparently waiting on the sidelines, ready to sell when they had the opportunity. American Bitcoin launched in May 2025 when Eric and his brother, Donald Trump, Jr., owned 98% of the stock, according to CNBC. The company formed when bitcoin mining operations were made available by AI energy infrastructure firm Hut 8, which merged its mining operations with the Trump brothers' business entity. American Bitcoin then underwent an all-stock merger with Gryphon Digital Mining before ABTC stock went public on Nasdaq in September 2025.

Bitcoin miners compete to be the first to verify digital transactions by answering complicated math equations, using specialized fast operating computers to rapidly solve the problems and be awarded portions of Bitcoin. Theoretically, anyone with the right technology can mine Bitcoin, though that tech generally includes powerful computers, constant internet connections, and a round-the-clock cooling system to keep the setup from overheating. Generally impractical to do alone at home, Bitcoin mining typically happens via pooled resources, often in large data centers like what Eric Trump is using for American Bitcoin. 

While individuals like Bill Gates have shared public warnings about cryptocurrency, many people have had (and still have) high hopes for Bitcoin. Some even dream of using Bitcoin to pay off the U.S. national debt — a solution President Donald Trump has even hinted at himself. However, Bitcoin has undergone a significant decline over the past two months. On October 6, per CoinGecko, Bitcoin value closed at $124,774, but closed at just $89,245 two months later on December 6. This trajectory doesn't bode well for companies holding or selling Bitcoin, let alone mining it. Even so, Eric remains confident this dip is temporary, writing on X, "I'm holding all my @ABTC shares — I'm 100% committed to leading the industry."