LAPTOP token crashes 99% hours after Hunter Biden meme coin launches
In brief
- LAPTOP launched on Base at 8am ET September 9, 2026, with one billion tokens issued.
- Token peaked at $190.81 two minutes after launch, then crashed 90% within 30 minutes.
- LAPTOP traded around $1.97 by afternoon, down 99% from peak price.
Launch and collapse
The Wall Street Journal first reported the launch plans on September 7, 2026. Hunter Biden confirmed the ticker in a tweet hours after the Journal's report, posting a video of news outlets discussing the computer that has shadowed him through American politics.
One billion LAPTOP tokens were issued. Blockchain intelligence firm Arkham recorded the price spike—a peak of $190.81 two minutes after launch. What followed was typical meme-coin volatility on steroids. The token shed about 90% of its value within 30 minutes and traded near $4.77 an hour after launch. By that afternoon it changed hands around $1.97, down almost 99% from its high.
The TRUMP connection
The LAPTOP launch was explicitly framed as a response to the TRUMP meme coin. TRUMP peaked near $75 shortly after its January 2025 launch and traded around $2.24 in September 2026, a decline of roughly 97%. Biden put the collective losses at close to $3.8 billion across nearly a million wallets.
One tranche of LAPTOP tokens was reserved for wallets that lost money on TRUMP, a gesture toward those holders. Still, Biden didn't position himself as a savior. Biden had disclaimed any responsibility for the token's price the night before launch: "You should not expect me or anyone else to make this token more valuable for you."
What meme coins are
Meme coins carry no claim on revenue, assets or governance. They trade on attention. LAPTOP's mechanics are no exception. Biden is part of the founding team rather than an endorser lending his name, according to the Journal. That distinction matters little once a token hits the market and speculators pile in. The crash from $190 to $2 in hours is the meme-coin playbook: early buyers liquidate, liquidity evaporates, and the price follows gravity downward.
The LAPTOP launch underscores why meme coins remain structurally fragile. No underlying business model, no revenue, no utility. Just narrative and timing. When both fade, the token does too.
