Wave of Chinese Crypto Influencers Suspended on X Over Bizarre Trump-Musk Bathtub Meme and Unofficial API Use

On June 12, 2025, a wave of account suspensions on the X platform has impacted multiple high-profile cryptocurrency Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs), sparking widespread concern and speculation across the crypto community. The suspended accounts include the official handles of GMGN (@gmgnai) and ElizaOS (@elizaOS), as well as their respective founders, haze (@haze0x) and Shaw (@shawmakesmagic).

What’s more, a number of prominent Chinese-speaking KOLs were also affected, including @Wolfy_XBT, @brc20niubi, @0xCryptoWizard, and gake (@Ga__ke), further intensifying the growing crackdown on crypto-related accounts.

Potential Cause: PPMT Memecoin and Pop Mart Connection

One possible reason behind the suspensions could be tied to a memecoin named PPMT on the GMGN platform, as suggested by a source close to X.

PPMT is believed to be an offshoot of the struggling LABUBU memecoin, which gained attention due to its association with Pop Mart, the parent company whose stock surged following the high-profile sales of LABUBU products, including a record-breaking transaction.

This connection has led some to speculate that PPMT is merely a rebranded extension of LABUBU.

The Pop Mart's Chinese name “泡泡马特” has also been playfully twisted into a meme: “泡泡” means “bubble” in Chinese, while “马” and “特” are the first characters of the Chinese transliterations for Musk (马斯克) and Trump (特朗普), respectively. This wordplay led to a viral AI-generated meme imagining Musk and Trump taking a bubble bath together — an image widely circulated by several accounts, which may have contributed to the suspensions.

However, the actual enforcement of these actions may ultimately depend on the personal will of Elon Musk. For instance, in November 2022, Musk banned several comedians who imitated and mocked him. In 2024, multiple journalists were suspended for criticizing Musk, with the only explanation being a vague “violation of X rules”.

The Most Plausible Cause: API Issues as the Leading Factor

Among the potential reasons for these suspensions, the use of unofficial APIs stands out as the most plausible cause, @_FORAB highlights that X has been cracking down on accounts utilizing third-party crawlers to access data, bypassing the platform’s official API.

A corporate account seeking to retrieve 200 million tweets would incur a monthly cost of over $200,000, while high-traffic accounts like GMGN, which may process up to 1 billion requests monthly, face even steeper fees.

To cut costs, some companies, including those linked to GMGN and ElizaOS, opted for unofficial APIs or scraped data directly from X’s frontend. This violation of X’s data usage policies likely triggered automated moderation systems, leading to the mass suspensions.

The post also notes that affiliated KOLs and bloggers, such as those mentioning GMGN or AI16z, may have been collateral damage, mistaken for part of a coordinated bot network.

Other Possible Causes

One such cause involves the Eliza Framework, @punk2898 analysts that the framework’s aggressive behavior — including high-frequency posting and potential use of unofficial APIs — may have drawn scrutiny from X. As the platform intensifies its crackdown on AI-powered bot networks, this could have inadvertently swept up a broader set of accounts, including Chinese-speaking KOLs.

Another, more speculative cause suggests that commercial rivalries or offline legal issues might be involved. For example, competitors could have reported certain accounts to suppress market competition, or law enforcement activity targeting offline teams may have led to precautionary suspensions by the platform. However, these claims remain unverified.

Prospects for Account Restoration

Given the above factors, the possibility of regaining suspended accounts remains uncertain but not impossible. Historical precedents show that some accounts have been restored after appeals, provided they comply with X’s policies, such as switching to official APIs and diversifying posting strategies.

GMGN insiders have expressed optimism, stating that the company’s operations remain normal and that they are actively communicating with the X platform team to resolve the issue.