Donald Trump has announced that a new range of non-fungible token (NFT) trading cards featuring his face are now available despite their falling value.
First released in December last year, the value of the cards nearly halved this week before recovering slightly, according to NFT marketplace OpenSea. The former president recently released a range of "MugShot" edition cards in tribute to his mug shot taken when he was arrested in Georgia earlier this year on 13 charges related to his alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss in the state.
Included in the Georgia indictment are charges of making false statements and writings to public officials and investigators and impersonating a public officer. He was charged alongside 18 other defendants. He denies the charges that relate to alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election and says they are politically motivated.
On the morning of December 12, OpenSea recorded the cards as having a floor price of 0.209 Ethereum (ETH), which is around $453.97. Later that day, the price had slipped to 0.139, or around $301.92.
Each of the cards is available for $99, and there is now a special offer for supporters of the 45th president to buy at least 47 trading cards in one transaction to win a piece of the suit Trump wore while taking the mug shot.
In an announcement video, Trump confirmed buyers would receive a physical card for the first time.
Trump said: "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 of it. I'll be autographing some of them."
An advertisement on the Collect Trump Cards website says the deal "is a moment in history" because "it's the first ever mug shot of a United States President."
"In the photo, Trump has a furrowed brow with a determined gaze which says he'll never surrender... It stands as a symbol of President Trump's unwavering commitment and his enduring dedication to the American Dream," the ad says.
Last year, Trump revealed the cards in what was billed as a "major announcement," leaving some of his supporters unimpressed. On his War Room podcast, former Trump aide Steve Bannon, who had streamed the announcement, expressed his disappointment.
"He's one of the greatest presidents in history, but I gotta tell you: whoever—what business partner and anybody on the comms team and anybody at Mar-a-Lago—and I love the folks down there—but we're at war," Bannon said.
The cards earned Trump some ridicule from his critics but sold out within just 12 hours. People who purchase the cards can be entered into a draw to meet Trump at events like gala dinners at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The images on the cards depict Trump in various poses, including as a cowboy, astronaut and with laser eyes.
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Benjamin Lynch is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is U.S. politics and national affairs and he ... Read more
