Tyler Winklevoss did not write a thread or drop a chart. Just two words: "Buy Bitcoin." That was his reaction to a now-viral graph showing U.S. national debt crossing $36.2 trillion — and it is still climbing.

The chart itself looks like a tech stock in a bull run — except it is not Apple or Nvidia. It is the federal debt, growing in a straight vertical line from the early 2000s to today. No slowdown. No breaks. Just more borrowing.

His post landed right after some big news: on May 17, Moody’s downgraded the U.S. credit rating from Aaa to Aa1. That is the third and final major agency to pull the top-tier rating from the U.S., citing rising deficits and no clear plan to slow them down.

Treasury Secretary Bessent tried to calm markets last week, saying the U.S. would “never default." But the numbers keep moving in the other direction. 

While that was playing out, investors were moving their money elsewhere — especially into Bitcoin.

In May alone, U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs pulled in $5.25 billion in net inflows. Gold ETFs, on the other hand, saw $1.58 billion leave. Fidelity and others say Bitcoin is now trading more like a store of value — something that used to be gold’s role.

Bitcoin vs. U.S. debt

Back in March, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink warned that if the U.S. cannot get its debt under control, the dollar could start losing its global reserve status. He pointed to digital assets — including Bitcoin — as a serious alternative.

Bitcoin is now trading above $100,000. With ETF inflows returning and the Fed hinting at looser policy, the setup is changing fast. Some forecasts put BTC at $220,000 by year's end. More aggressive ones go as high as $444,000.

When Tyler Winklevoss says "buy Bitcoin," it is not just about crypto. It is about the bigger picture — and a growing number of investors are starting to look at it the same way.