Tragic, the Blathering: Donald Trump Releases NFT Trading Cards That Have People Asking If They’re a Scam

by James · December 15, 2022

Donald Trump is not one for half measures on anything. That’s why there was so much excitement around him posting about a “BIG ANNOUNCEMENT” coming on his social media platform, Truth Social. That announcement is here, and it’s… it’s trading cards.

Yes, for “only” $99 you can buy digital NFT trading cards of Donald Trump in various scenes and poses that reflect his life and career. Presumably, these cards include the absurdly muscular superhero version of Trump featured in the opening of the promo video he also released for the cards, which manages to make claims that Trump should be the viewers’ favorite US president ahead of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington within the first seven seconds .

Come for the claim that Trump was a better president than Washington and Lincoln, stay for “Trump digital trading cards” pic.twitter.com/qEKWYpgXL7

— The Republican Accountability Project (@AccountableGOP) 15 December 2022

Attached to the cards is a series of contests that presumably make the purchase of digital NFTs more attractive to people who would be interested in purchasing Donald Trump trading cards. Prizes for the lucky winners include a dinner with Trump, golf with Trump, various Zoom calls with Trump and a Mar-a-Lago cocktail hour with Trump.

There is also an exciting opportunity to win a “gold” trading card “digitally signed” by Trump. So, for those keeping score, one of the prizes for buying some Trump NFTs is winning another NFT.

Crucially, if people buy 45 of these trading cards, the trading card website claims they are “guaranteed” entry to a gala dinner with the former president. This means we now know how much money it costs to have dinner with Donald Trump: around $4,500. The website does not mention whether the price for food and drink at the gala dinner is included.

It’s a bold strategy by Trump’s team, getting into the NFT space just as the death knell is ringing for cryptocurrency, AI art is being roundly criticized by artists, and the NFT markets are possibly less popular than they’ve ever been. The sensational price point has caused many on social media to claim that the whole thing is a scam.

Of course, it doesn’t help that many people still believe that NFTs are generally a scam, making this potential scam delicate and layered, like a scam croissant.

No word yet on whether the Trump trading cards might enter a playable phase a la Magic the Gatheringbut if it ever does, we imagine Mar-a-Lago will most likely be available to play as a country.