The value of digital trading cards released by Donald Trump surged on Thursday, after the former president was arrested in Georgia and had his mugshot released for the first time.
Trump handed himself in to Atlanta's Fulton County Jail after being indicted on 13 counts related to claims be acted illegally whilst trying to reverse the 2020 presidential election outcome in the state of Georgia. The ex-premier, and current frontrunner for the 2024 GOP presidential candidacy, has strongly denied any wrongdoing, claiming the allegations against him are part of a "witch hunt."
In December 2022 Trump sold a set of 45,000 non-fungible tokens (NFTs) depicting himself in a variety of heroic poses for $99 each. Each NFT is recorded on the blockchain, essentially a large unalterable database that operates across a vast network of computers, meaning it can't be copied or subdivided. The pieces of digital artwork, which sold out within hours of being released, include Trump portrayed as a superhero, sheriff, astronaut and NASCAR driver.
At 0:01 a.m. ET on Thursday each Trump token was valued at 0.137 in digital currency Ethereum, which equates to about $181, according to Open Sea, a website that claims to be the world's "largest digital marketplace" for NFTs.
However by 11:00 p.m. ET, after Trump's arrest and the release of his mugshot, this had soared to 0.223 Ethereum, or around $294. It did later fall back a little, to 0.189 Ethereum ($249) by 9:30 a.m. on Friday, but remains substantially above its starting point. Notably Thursday's rise in value was by far the most dramatic the Trump NFTs have recorded over the past two months.
Newsweek has approached Trump for comment via the press inquiry form on his official website.
After his arrest Trump posted on X, formerly Twitter, for the first time since he was banned from the platform after hundreds of his supporters stormed Congress on January 6 2021.
The former president shared a copy of his arrest mugshot, adding "ELECTION INTERFERENCE" and "NEVER SURRENDER!" along with a link for donations. Trump's post went viral on X, receiving more than 269,000 reposts and 1.1 million likes.
Speaking to conservative network Newsmax following his release Trump described his time at Fulton County jail as a "terrible experience."
He said: "I came in, I was treated very nicely but it is what it is. I took a mugshot, I'd never heard the words mugshot, they didn't teach me that at the Wharton School of Finance.
"It's a very sad experience and it's a very sad day for our country."
Trump's booking process took about 20 minutes after which he was released on a $200,000 bond. The jail recorded him as a six foot three inches white male weighing 215 pounds, with "blond or strawberry" colored hair.
The release of Trump's mugshot sparked a wave of mockery and memes on social media, with one Democratic congressman releasing a 39-second clip of himself laughing and branding the former president a "Clown! Thug! Crook! Criminal!"
Trump is also facing charges in separate cases over allegations he orchestrated the payment of hush money to a pornographic actress, mishandled classified documents and illegally attempted to overturn Joe Biden's 2020 election win nationwide. He has pleaded not guilty to all counts, which the former president insists are politically motivated. Despite the congressman calling him a "criminal" Trump has yet to be convicted of any crime.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world ... Read more
