Donald Trump Sneakers Fine Print Raises Questions

A range of sneakers launched by Donald Trump on Saturday has come under fire online after people noted that the products aren't expected to start shipping until between June and August, depending on which shoes are purchased.

Trump was booed by a section of the crowd when he unveiled a pair of his sneakers at Sneaker Con, which claims to be "The Greatest Sneaker Show on Earth," in Philadelphia on Saturday.

The former president and 2024 Republican frontrunner was offering three designs of sneaker, including the $399 "Never Surrender High-Tops," which Trump presented at the event.

This design is gold with a simplified American flag extending around the back and the letter T displayed prominently. According to the official website it has since sold out. Trump is also selling red "T-Red Wave" and white "POTUS 45" sneakers, with both designs costing $199 a pair and still available to order.

The Get Trump Sneakers website is also selling two perfume sets, titled "Victory47 Cologne by President Trump" and "Victory47 Perfume by President Trump," each retailing at $99.

The significance of the numbers 45 and 47 is that Trump served as the 45th president of the United States between 2017-21, and will become the 47th president if elected again in November.

On X, formerly Twitter, a number of users noticed there will be a substantial wait until any of these products start shipping, according to their terms and conditions.

These state: "Trump Fragrances are estimated to start shipping in May/June 2024. Trump Sneakers are expected to start shipping June/July 2024 for the gold High-Tops, and the Potus 45 White Knit & RedWave Knit are expected to ship in July/August 2024. Shipping and delivery dates are estimates only and cannot be guaranteed."

Legal commentator and Trump critic Tristan Snell shared a screenshot of this on X adding: "Trump Sneakers? Read the fine print. These things aren't getting delivered anytime soon. If ever."

A similar point was made by the pro-Democrat Pappy Best X account, which has 17,000 followers and also shared a terms and conditions screenshot. They wrote: "Trump sneakers. The fine print. Hahahaha. He is doing exactly what FB scammers do. They take orders for a product they do not have, then place a bulk order, and have the manufacturer ship it."

There has been no evidence provided that the offer is a scam and pre-ordering goods is not unusual practice online.

Newsweek reached out to Get Trump Sneakers and representatives of Trump by email at 5:30 a.m. ET.

Trump's finances have taken a major hit since the beginning of the year due to two major adverse legal judgements. On Friday, New York Judge Arthur Engoron ordered Trump to pay a $355 million fine after previously concluding he had fraudulently inflated his assets to secure more favorable bank loans. The former president was also banned from serving as an officer or director of any New York corporation or other legal entity in the state for three years.

In January, Trump was instructed to pay writer E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million in a defamation case, following an earlier 2023 civil case in which he was ordered to pay her $5 million in compensation after a jury concluded he had sexually abused then defamed her. Trump has denied any wrongdoing in both cases and indicated he plans to appeal.

The Get Trump Sneakers website says it is run by CIC Ventures LLC, a company Trump said he owned in a 2023 financial declaration.

In December 2022, Trump launched the sale of a range of $99 non-fungible tokens (NFTs) depicting himself, sparking criticism from some supporters. The 45,000 tokens made available sold out within 12 hours.

The most common NFT assets are digital art, digital collectible items, pieces of content such as video or audio, and event tickets. They are used to certify ownership and authenticity.