"Hopefully your favorite president of all time" Donald Trump just released an NFT collection, after previously referring to cryptocurrencies as a "disaster waiting to happen". In his recent major announcement Trump said the digital collectibles, costing $99, would "make perfect gifts" for the holiday season.
Top Trumps?
The new digital trading card collection launched on Polygon, including a total of 45,000 NFTs. They promptly sold out, netting the controversial ex-president about $4.5 million in revenue. Many believe the funds will likely be used to cover ongoing legal costs or contribute to campaign funding.
Each card has no more than 20 copies, with other rarities ranging from one-of-a-kinds, to 2, 5, 7 or even 10 copies. For $99, each card enters the holder into a sweepstake with chances to win a variety of Trump-centric prizes, including:
- A Miami dinner with Trump
- Zoom calls with Trump
- Play Golf with Donald Trump and 2 of your close friends
- Autographed memorabilia
In fact, collectors who purchased 45 or more (that's $4455) were guaranteed a ticket to attend the Gala Dinner with Trump.
In the announcement, Trump included a commercial, in which he said buyers will enter a "very exclusive community. It's my community and I think it's something you're going to like". Purchasable with both fiat and crypto, it wasn't long before the cards were sold out.
Criticizing Cards
Not the first time Trump has been met with criticism, the launch of his NFT collection is another stunt that saw the 45th censured, especially after putative, questionable campaign fundraising practices in 2020. Trump's collectibles were decried as a scam by his detractors–especially the vocal community on Twitter, with some referring to it as a "money laundering scheme".
In more recent news, Trump has also been accused of using copyrighted images in his NFT collection, only leading more to describe both his collection and NFTs more widely as a scam.
Even Trump's supporters called out his advisors, claiming that the NFT collection drop being branded a "major announcement" overshadowed his free speech proposal, hindering his campaign efforts.
In an ironic twist, Trump himself referred to crypto as a scam as early as 2019, claiming that currencies like Bitcoin, being unregulated, were mostly used for illicit activities.
It seems we've come full circle, with the once-accuser becoming the accused.
