Pierre Rochard Slams Altcoins, Says They Are Riding Bitcoin’s Coattails

He proposed opening up the Bitcoin bull market with tax relief, strategic BTC storage, and Fed consolidation.

Bitcoin advocate Pierre Rochard reignited a long-standing rift within crypto when he dismissed altcoins as “bozos and clowns” while saying US federal policy should focus solely on BTC.

His comments came as the flagship cryptocurrency fell below $75,000 during a broader market selloff tied to intense pressure and regulatory uncertainty in Washington.

Maximalist Rhetoric Amid Market Stress

Rochard used strong language in a February 3 post on X to devalue all non-Bitcoin cryptos.

“I don’t want to hear a word from altcoin crypto web3 NFT ICO XRP ETH ADA blockchain any bozos and clowns,” he wrote.

He also asserted that these assets were “riding on Bitcoin’s coattails” and should “thank whatever happens.”

This bullish outlook was posted against the backdrop of a significant market decline, with data showing that BTC fell nearly 11% last week, erasing the gains of corporate paper.

On February 2, Strategy, the largest Bitcoin holder, disclosed a new purchase of 855 BTC for 75.3 million dollars. However, as the stock price fell, the company’s unrealized earnings fell from nearly $8 billion last week to less than $3 billion, with the broader crypto market losing an estimated $500 billion since late January.

In his book, Rochard proposed a policy book for starting a Bitcoin bull market that focuses on three actions of the US government: finding a Bitcoin depository, making Bitcoin tax-exempt, and having the Federal Reserve hoard Bitcoin.

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These views have sparked debate online, with one user commenting,

“Oh, now everyone wants BTC to be treated like real money. Funny how that works when taxes are involved.”

The Bitcoin for Corps host objected, saying,

“Bitcoin is not foreign currency … in fact it should be tax free.”

Policy Focus Diverges from the Washington Agenda

Rochard’s proposed policy shift comes as Washington focuses elsewhere. On February 2, representatives of major crypto companies and traditional banking groups met at the White House for a working session. The meeting aimed to resolve disagreements over stablecoin yield regulations, a key sticking point for the CLARITY Act in the Senate.

The CEO of the Bitcoin Bond Company responded to the coverage of the event by reporter Eleanor Terrett with comments,

“The focus should be on Bitcoin tax exemptions and getting the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, not stablecoin yields. This is a huge distraction.”

The total market is challenging. Apart from crypto, the sale of different assets has had an impact on commodities and equities. Precious metals such as silver and gold have recently experienced significant declines, while Bitcoin has fallen out of the world’s top ten assets by market capitalization and is now ranked 12th. As such, the current climate indicates that instability must be resolved for Rochard’s policy ideas to succeed.