Trump’s NFT Cards Sell Out a Day After ‘Major Announcement’

Trump’s NFT Cards Sell Out a Day After ‘Major Announcement’
Former President Donald Trump arrives at Trump Tower the day after FBI agents raided his Mar-a-Lago Palm Beach home, in New York on Aug. 9, 2022. (David 'Dee' Delgado/Reuters)
Jack Phillips
12/16/2022
Updated:
12/16/2022
0:00

A day after former President Donald Trump’s “major announcement” revealed he’s selling a series of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), they sold out, according to his website.

The NFTs, which Trump billed as a kind of “trading card” that shows an image of him, were sold out by early Friday morning, according to CoinDesk and the website where you can purchase the NFTs.
As of noon on Friday, data from OpenSea shows that the entire collection’s trading volume stands at around $1.08 million, or 900 ETH. An individual card is trading for about $230, more than double the price of the original price of $99.

“Collect all of your favorite Trump Digital Trading Cards, very much like a baseball card, but hopefully much more exciting,” Trump said Thursday on Truth Social in announcing the collection. “Only $99 each!”

Trump, who announced a third 2024 presidential bid last month, further wrote that “these limited edition cards feature amazing ART of my Life & Career.” The 45th president predicted that “they will be gone, I believe, very quickly!”

The digital trading cards feature Trump in different settings and outfits, including a superhero outfit. There are cards showing him golfing, riding an elephant, and several of him holding boxing gloves with the number “45” emblazoned on them.

NFTs are digital assets tied to their owner. Because of cryptocurrency technology advancements, each NFT is unique and has its own value that is generally determined by demand.

“These are just like baseball cards, but you collect them digitally, on your computer or phone. All you need is an email address and a credit card to start collecting 1, 10, 20 or 100. Instantly become part of a new league of collectors,” Trump’s website for the NFTs says.

There is no mention of Trump’s 2024 campaign in any of the NFTs or other materials. None of the cards that the real estate magnate and businessman who has long held licensing deals released include any of his campaign slogans such as “Make America Great Again” or “Keep America Great.”

The bottom of the NFT website indicates that Trump’s likeness is being used under a license. The copyright holder is “NFT INT LLC,” and more details were not provided.

“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,” the disclaimer says.

The NFT announcement marks a reversal by the former president, who in 2019 wrote on Twitter that he’s “not a fan” of cryptocurrencies.

“I am not a fan of Bitcoin and other Cryptocurrencies, which are not money, and whose value is highly volatile and based on thin air,” Trump wrote on Twitter in July of that year.
“That [crypto] could be an explosion some day the likes of which we’ve never seen,” Trump later told Fox News in December 2021. “It will make the big tech explosion look like baby stuff. I think it’s a very dangerous thing.”

Pushback

Before the NFTs were released, Trump hinted this week that he had a “major announcement” planned. Some speculated that it pertained to his 2024 presidential bid, and when he announced the NFTs, it left some conservative commentators and former associates perplexed.

That included Steve Bannon, his 2016 campaign manager and erstwhile White House adviser, who called on Trump to fire the person who came up with the NFT idea. “I can’t do this anymore,” Bannon said on his “War Room” podcast.

“Whoever, what business partner, and anybody in the comms team, and anybody at Mar-a-Lago, and I love the folks down there, but we’re at war. They ought to be fired today,” Bannon said.
Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, another one of Trump’s former White House advisers, made a similar remark in a video on Rumble.

“Whoever advised him on that, I'd fire him them immediately,” Flynn said during a streaming show on the platform.

Conservative show host Jesse Kelly wrote on Twitter that conservatives needed to “demand improvement“ and ”put the pom poms down.“ He added, ”We need a better Trump.”

The former president has not publicly responded to comments from Flynn, Bannon, or other conservative commentators. The Epoch Times has contacted a Trump spokesman for comment.

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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