Former U.S. President Donald Trump has announced new non-fungible tokens (NFTs) inspired by his recent arrest, according to CollectTrumpCards on Dec. 12. Trump shared the news in a video announcement on X, formerly Twitter.
Trump was arrested and processed at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia on Aug. 24, 2023, after being charged under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act on allegations that he and others conspired to overturn Georgia’s results in the 2020 Presidential Election. He is now on bail and awaits trial in August 2024.
Now, a new series of 47 digital collectibles features a picture of Trump’s mugshot, as photographed during his arrest this summer. Each item is priced at $99.
‘A true collector’s item’
While each of the 47 trading cards can be purchased individually, collectors who purchase all 47 will receive a number of gifts and perks from the former president, including dinner at Mar-a-Lago and pieces of cloth from the suit he was wearing during his arrest.
Said Trump in the announcement:
“For the first time, we’re creating a real, physical Trump card. Purchase 47 digital cards, and we’ll mail you a beautiful trading card. It is an authentic piece of the suit I wore when I took that now famous mug shot, and it was a great suit, believe me, a really good suit. It’s all cut up, and you’re gonna get a piece out. I’ll be autographing some of them. A true collector’s item.”
Another series of 100 Trump digital trading is can be purchased in exchange for varying levels of access to a dinner hosted by Trump at Mar-a-Lago, plus commemorative dinner NFT cards and other promotional items. The 100-card offer is limited to the first 200 buyers who pay via a single crypto transaction. As of 2:30 p.m. UTC on Dec. 12, 163 offers remained.
Trump NFTs are highly controversial
Donald Trump’s NFT collection originally launched in December 2022. Though the collectibles have seen high demand at times, including after Trump’s March indictment and August arrest, they have also experienced significant losses in value, including around the time of a “Series 2” launch in April.
The project also faces broader complaints. In addition to general backlash against NFTs, early reports suggested that the company minted a number of cards for a team-owned safe and that card designs plagiarized stock images.
Trump, for his part, vouched for the quality of the art in the cards, saying:
“Some people call these cards pop art or modern art. I wish I looked as good as I do on those cards, I can tell you. They give me muscles were, believe me, I don’t have them.”
Though the company responsible for the collection claims that it is not “owned, managed or controlled” by Trump, the former U.S. president appears to be highly involved in the project. Reports from August suggest that Trump has earned $4.6 million from the NFT collection.
