Key Facts
Donald Trump’s ‘Major Announcement’ Was To Hawk His $99 NFTs
Table of Contents
- Key Facts
- Donald Trump’s ‘Major Announcement’ Was To Hawk His $99 NFTs
- CRUCIAL QUOTE
- CONTRA
- KEY BACKGROUND
- TANGENT
- Donald Trump Ruthlessly Mocked for ‘Major Announcement’ About NFTs
After teasering a “big announcement” on his Truth Social account on Thursday, former President Donald Trump presented a “limited edition collection” of NFT trading cards with cartoonish images of himself portrayed as a superhero, Hollywood star, and more.
The $99 trading cards, available at collecttrumpcards.com, depict an especially masculine Trump dressed in hunting gear, sporting a “DOW” hat with a surging stock ticker in the background, playing golf, wearing sunglasses while standing in front of a “Trumpworld” sign, and more.
Along with the NFTs, Trump launched a sweepstakes campaign with a variety of prizes, including a dinner with Trump in Miami, a golf excursion with Trump, a one-on-one meeting with Trump, and artefacts signed by the former president.
The announcement comes after Trump reminded his 4.73 million Truth Social followers on Wednesday that “America Needs a Superhero” and teased a “big surprise” on Thursday.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
GET YOUR CARDS RIGHT NOW! Only $99 per person! Would make an excellent Christmas present. Don’t Delay. They’ll be gone fast, I believe!” Trump posted a message on Truth Social.
CONTRA
Trump is entering the NFT industry at a tough time, with dropping prices and volume. According to Bloomberg data, NFT trading volume fell 97% between January and September of this year due to concerns about the viability of the digital asset market. The November failure of Sam Bankman-FTX Fried’s crypto exchange, which hosted NFTs, has harmed the NFT sector even more.
KEY BACKGROUND
Trump has capitalised on his ardent fan base’s predilection for publicly displaying their support to the former president through flags, hats, apparel, yard signs, car stickers, and other items by creating a marketplace of stuff on his Trump Organization website. Shoppers may buy food in Trump-branded packaging, cheese boards with his name on them, trinkets portraying his properties, and a variety of Trump camo-print clothing.
His son-in-law and former White House adviser Jared Kushner stated in his memoir “Breaking History” that the red hats imprinted with his famous “MAGA” slogan became so popular among his supporters that they brought in $80,000 per day for Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
TANGENT
The “big announcement” comes after a particularly difficult month for Trump, who announced his third presidential run on November 15. At least three recent surveys this week suggested that his support among Republican voters has dwindled dramatically, including a USAToday/Suffolk University poll that found GOP-leaning people favour Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president in 2024 over Trump by double digits.
Many prominent Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, criticised Trump for the party’s poor midterm showing. Republican leaders also chastised him for entertaining white nationalist Nick Fuentes for dinner at Mar-a-Lago and claiming that elements of the Constitution that he said stopped him from winning the 2020 presidential election should be repealed.
Donald Trump Ruthlessly Mocked for ‘Major Announcement’ About NFTs
The digital trading cards were widely ridiculed by some Twitter users. They included journalist David Leavitt, who called Trump a “scam artist” in connection with the launch, and political science professor Eddie Zipperer, who wondered if the cards were the real announcement or “some kind of meme making fun of Trump.”
“Thank God, the digital trading cards are here. It was indeed a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT,” conservative political commentator Ben Shapiro tweeted.
Trump shared a mystery video online on Wednesday with the message “AMERICA NEEDSAVENGAGENCHAVENeed AMERICA NEEDSAVENGAGAINSTANDREADYNA Tomorrow, I will make a MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT. Thank you very much!”
The post spurred many to speculate about what he was teasing, with some wondering if it may be his vice presidential pick or a legal development in one of his lawsuits. Others speculated that the former president was returning to Twitter, which had recently reactivated his previously suspended account.
But it appears that nearly no one expected Trump to start his own NFT, a move that was condemned in light of his third presidential candidacy. (NFTs are limited-edition digital artefacts used to make “unique” versions of anything that can be digitised.)
In response to Thursday’s statement, former congressional staffer and consultant Daniel Bostic tweeted, “These are hardly the behaviours of a leader who is serious about preserving our country.”
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