Former US President Donald Trump is selling NFT trading cards
The website that offers digital trading cards depicting former US President Donald Trump in disguises as a superhero, astronaut and Nascar driver says the items are already sold out.
Trump promoted the limited-edition cards late Thursday, saying they could “make a great Christmas gift.”
There were 45,000 of the cards, available for $99 each, according to OpenSea, which tracks such deals.
The announcement drew criticism and derision, including from Republicans.
“I can’t do this anymore,” Steve Bannon, a right-wing media commentator and former chief strategist for Trump, said of the sale on his podcast.
Everyone involved in the project “should be fired today,” he added.
Trump, who launched his third bid for the White House last month, had sparked speculation this week after saying he would make a “big announcement”.
Some commentators had expected him to potentially name a candidate for the presidential campaign.
Instead, the billionaire – who often licensed his name even before he entered the White House – posted a promotional video for the cards on its social media platform, Truth Social.
The clip featured an animated version of the former president in front of Trump Tower in New York, ripping off his shirt to reveal a superhero costume emblazoned with the letter T as lasers shoot from his eyes.
Later at the Truth Social, Trump said the non-fungible tokens (NFTs) were “very much like a baseball card, but hopefully a lot more exciting”.
The “one-of-a-kind” assets in the digital world can be bought and sold like any other property, but have no tangible form of their own.
They can be thought of as certificates of ownership for virtual or physical assets.
Proponents say NFTs are the digital answer to collectibles, but critics have warned of risks in the market, which emerged from the wider world of cryptocurrency. Activity in the space has fallen this year, along with a plunge in cryptocurrencies.
A report to the US Congress this year noted that NFT sales have been used to collect credit card and other financial information, and have been the subject of other scams.
Movement mocked
Trump, who has raised millions of dollars since his defeat in the 2020 election, frequently issues fundraising appeals, including one tied to holiday wrapping paper on Friday.
Some on social media speculated that the sale of NFTs would help fund the legal battles he is involved in.
The funds would not be used for his presidential campaign, according to the NFT’s website.
“These digital trading cards are not political and have nothing to do with any political campaign,” it said.
“NFT INT LLC is not owned, managed or controlled by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization, CIC Digital LLC or any of their respective principals or affiliates,” it added.
The Trump family has explored NFT sales before. In February, Bloomberg reported that art of Melania Trump – which sold for what was then roughly $180,000 – had been purchased by a wallet linked to the creator of the image.
At the time, Trump said the transaction was “facilitated on behalf of a third-party buyer”.
