The TRUMP meme coin didn’t just pump — it nearly broke the internet of Solana.
In early March 2025, a politically-charged meme coin called $TRUMP launched on the Solana network, igniting a frenzy of trading activity that clogged decentralised exchanges, slowed transaction finality, and once again raised questions about the network’s stability.
While Solana didn’t experience a full-blown outage, users were left frustrated by laggy swaps, failed transactions, and network congestion — reminiscent of the platform’s more chaotic days.
The launch of $TRUMP wasn’t unique in concept — meme coins have flooded the crypto space for years — but its impact was outsized.
Backed by viral hype, fast-moving Telegram groups, and political memes, $TRUMP triggered:
At its peak, the network showed clear signs of strain:
Solana was technically still online — but for many, it felt like the chain had crashed.
Solana is known for high throughput (theoretical 65,000+ TPS) and low fees — two things that make it ideal for explosive events like NFT mints or meme coin launches. But that also makes it vulnerable.
During the TRUMP frenzy, Solana faced:
These conditions overwhelm Solana’s current infrastructure, especially during moments of peak hype.
Solana’s developer community is well aware of these challenges. One of the most anticipated fixes is Firedancer, an independent validator client developed by Jump Crypto, which aims to drastically increase throughput and reliability.
Until Firedancer and further congestion controls are rolled out, Solana remains susceptible to what many call "meme coin meltdowns" — surges in speculative activity that test the network’s limits.
To be clear: Solana didn’t go down during the TRUMP coin event. That’s an improvement over past outages. But the user experience degraded, and for a chain that powers everything from AI agents to DeFi portfolios, that’s still a concern.
Projects like Griffain, which rely on real-time agent interactions, or high-volume traders using platforms like Jupiter, need consistent performance — not unpredictable slowdowns.
Solana has come a long way since its early instability, but the TRUMP meme coin saga was a reminder: the network isn’t bulletproof yet.
With meme coin culture alive and well, and speculation showing no signs of slowing, Solana must continue evolving — or risk falling short in the very moment it’s built for: going viral.
