Former President Donald Trump on Thursday revealed a new foray into NFT sales, sharing a website that offers a series of what he called “digital trading cards” for $99 each.
On a website called CollectTrumpCards.com, the 45th president is selling a series of artworks featuring likenesses of himself depicted as a superhero with laser eyes, an astronaut, a John Wayne-like cowboy and a golfer – along with, of course, a dark-suited Trump surrounded by gold bars.
In a video accompanying the launch, Trump says they are “just like a baseball card, or other collectibles.”
The reveal Thursday morning came after Trump teased a “major announcement” on his Truth Social platform Wednesday. The post had fans and critics speculating that he was going to announce a running mate for his third campaign for president or perhaps even drop out as he sags in early polls.
Instead, it was the latest money-making venture from the businessman.
NFTs are units of data stored on a digital ledger, called a blockchain, that certifies a digital asset to be unique and therefore not interchangeable.
The 2017 creation of a way for artists to get paid for digital art has transformed the art market, making it more accessible and less costly. NFTs boomed during the pandemic. Unsurprisingly, prices for NFTs created by celebrity artists soared, with the digital arts Pak’s “The Merge” selling to 28,983 people for a total value of $91.8 million a year ago, according to Artsper Magazine.
But Trump’s launch comes at a time when the NFT market has stagnated, with prices dropping 97% since the start of the year.
The video starts with Trump greeting viewers as “Hopefully your favorite president of all time, better than Lincoln, better than Washington.” He promises that purchasers “will join a very exclusive community, my community, that I think it’s something you’re going to like and you’re gonna like it a lot.”
The sales launch features a “sweepstakes” with prizes including dinner with Trump; a group cocktail hour at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida; a one-on-one meeting with the former president and a round of golf. Trump is also offering individual and group Zoom sessions, signed memorabilia and “Golden Edition signed e-trading cards” as prizes.
Fans who buy 45 digital trading cards, which would cost $4,455 before any taxes or fees, are “guaranteed a ticket to attend a gala dinner with Trump in South Florida,” the site says.
The site accepts credit cards and cryptocurrency, and states that buyers can sell or trade their digital trading cards, including on any marketplace that accepts Polygon-based NFTs.
“Remember, Christmas is coming, and this makes a great Christmas gift,” the 45th president said in a video accompanying the launch.
