Former President Donald Trump Latest Venture: Self-Portrait NFTs | Anne Spollen
Trump’s NFT cards sell out within hours despite criticismPhoto ofImage credit: collecttrumpcards.com
Former President Donald J. Trump has moved on to a new venture. Tempting followers on his Truth Social app with news of a big announcement, the reveal came Thursday, December 15: consumers can now access a website to buy NFTs, or digital photos of Trump, for the starting price of $99.00 . The digital trading cards feature Trump’s head superimposed over powerful images, such as a cowboy, an astronaut, an elephant rider and a superhero shooting lasers from his eyes.
NFT stands for a non-fungible token. Each NFT has a unique identification code and metadata that establishes ownership and helps create an engineered scarcity that increases value. It is a way of collecting digital art. NFTs exist on a blockchain and cannot be duplicated. Initially, the crowd flocked to the products as they were less likely to fall victim to fraud; However, enthusiasm for NFTs has cooled considerably in recent months.
In a Truth Social post, he wrote: “My official Donald Trump Digital Trading Card collection is here! These limited editions feature amazing ART of my Life & Career! Collect all your favorite Trump Digital Trading Cards, very much like a baseball card, but hopefully much more exciting.” He then reminded the audience that they “would make a great Christmas present”. The site asks viewers to “instantly become part of a new league of collectors” by entering their email address and paying by credit card.
Once the card is purchased, buyers are automatically entered into contests for “thousands of incredible prizes” and to “meet the one and only #45.” Some of the prizes include dining with Trump, a meet-and-greet cocktail affair at Trump’s Mar-A-Lago estate, a Zoom call from the former president, autographed memorabilia and a one-on-one meeting with Trump where you can, according to the website, “Ask all the questions you want and get all the advice you can handle from the man who changed business and America.”
Critics of the cards point out that the art and graphics of the cards are sophomoric and some of the clothes Trump is depicted wearing are taken directly from clothing catalogs and may be subject to copyright infringement.
Despite criticism, the initiative has been successful: 45,000 of the digital cards were sold out in just a few hours. The former president-turned-politician’s cards are now being traded on the NFT market, OpenSea, with starting bids more than double the original 99.00.
Neither Trump himself nor the Trump Organization is connected to the cards. Trump’s likeness is licensed through a company called NFT International LLC. A search of public records reveals that NFT Internations LLC is based in a UPS store located in a shopping center in Park City, Utah, between an Asian restaurant and a vape shop. NFT INT LLC bought the rights to Trump’s image from another obscure company called CIC Digital.
In a thread on Twitter, Ken Bensinger of the NY Times claims that CIC Digital is a company formed by former Trump adviser, Nick Luna, and current Trump lawyer, John Marion.
