TL;DR

Ripples token has been among the rockstars since the US elections, having surged by 500% from the bottom to a new all-time high in July this year. However, theres a big mainstream concern that has been circulating on X, which could mean the top has been reached.

Is The Top In?

Signs of a market top! https://t.co/8pa2Q2YANR

Mainstream media has rarely been kind to the cryptocurrency industry. But in the rare moments it has been, such as some positive comments by the likes of Jim Cramer, it has typically resulted in (almost) immediate trend reversals, price corrections, or blatant bear markets.

Opposite examples also exist. Such as what happened in late 2018 BTC and the crypto market were deep in the bear woods, and mainstream journalists said they were dead. Well, not only were they not dead, but they skyrocketed to new heights multiple times since then, becoming globally accepted, mainstream assets.

Fast-forward to early July 2025. BTC hit a new all-time high, while the deeply polarized media stayed away from the news. A few days later, BTC broke its record once again, setting a new one at over $123,000.

The USA Today article focuses on XRP and has some really positive things to say about it. They range from easing the regulatory climate in the US following Trumps presidential victory to XRPs ability to serve as a real-world utility token.

The Controversy

The article has some questionable statements. For instance, it reads that XRP has graduated from the boom and bust volatility of a meme coin Ripples cross-border token was never intended nor categorized as a meme coin. Although there are some meme coins built on top of the XRP Ledger, thats the network behind the token, not the asset itself.

Just because there are meme coins on Ethereum, Solana, and even Bitcoin, that doesnt mean that the underlying assets of all three blockchains are meme tokens, right?

Still, USA Today admits that this article has been heavily influenced by materials from The Motley Fool, which is a content partner offering financial news, analysis, and commentary to the former. And, TMF didnt place XRP in its top 10 best stocks list. Maybe its because XRP is not exactly (or at all) a stock.

Despite the controversy around this article, including linking to the paid analysis by The Motley Fool, the appearance and praise for XRP in mainstream media could be considered a bearish sign, based on historical performances. If you want to read more about Ripples potential peak this year, you can check this article, in which we asked some of the top AIs about their opinion on the matter.