Trump issues digital trading cards – again – after first batch of NFTs sell out in one day, raising eyebrows

by James · April 18, 2023

Table of Contents

Top line

Former President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he is issuing a second round of superhero-style digital trading cards featuring cartoon images of him at $99 apiece, as the 2024 GOP nominee looks to continue raising money and rallying his base following his historic indictment earlier this month.

release a second round of digital trading cards

Keywords

Trump’s “Series 2” digital cards became available Tuesday, Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social, saying he is releasing them “because of the great success” of the previous round in December, though that release was mocked even by his Allies.

The NFTs include images of the former president as a playing card king of hearts, carrying a sword and signaling a heart sign with his hands, as well as a rock-and-roll Trump in a full leather suit and sunglasses, and one of him grilling hot dogs and hamburgers with American flag pins.

Some of these cards will be unique, meaning the buyer will be the only person with a copy, while others will be made in limited edition sets, with no more than 10 copies of a single card.

Trump also announced a contest program, offering a chance at a private dinner at his Mar-a-Lago Florida estate for people who buy 47 cards (valued at $4,653 in total) — an apparent reference to his hopes of becoming the 47th U.S. the president.

Key background

The former president unveiled the first batch of limited NFTs on Dec. 15, nearly a month after announcing his 2024 presidential campaign and a day after teasing a “big announcement” on his Truth Social account — though the release asked a lot of questions. of derision even from GOP allies, including his former adviser Steve Bannon and former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who said he would fire “immediately” whoever advised Trump to release the NFTs. The first batch of digital cards included 44,000 NFTs listed for sale at $99 each, including some depicting him as a superhero and as a movie star. They sold out in less than a day and appeared to generate nearly $4.4 million in total revenue, although the former president’s financial disclosure forms show he personally earned between $100,000 and $1 million from the digital cards.

Big number

47,000. That’s how many digital cards were minted in the second batch this week, including 46,000 available for sale on collecttrumpcards.com. Purchases are limited to 47 digital cards per customer, if they use a credit card in the transaction. People who buy them with cryptocurrency can buy up to 100 cards.

Versus

Despite Trump’s NFTs selling out in less than a day in December, the value of digital assets, including NFTs and cryptocurrency, has plunged in recent months, with trading volume of NFTs taking a dive last year when they fell about 97% between January and September 2022, according to data obtained by Bloomberg. NFT trading volume has since recovered slightly, rising in December and January and hitting a seven-month high to start the year.

Tangent

Under the program, buyers are granted a limited license to each card, allowing them to view, display and publish them, but with restrictions on commercial use.

I’m a Boston-based reporter. Before joining Forbes, I covered the environment, local government and arts for a small-town newspaper on Nantucket. My previous work includes NPR, WBUR, WCAI and Nantucket Today. I am a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, with a degree in Political Science. Email me at [email protected]