Donald Trump made an exciting announcement today: his collection of non-fungible tokens (NFT) costing $99 each can now be bought with Ethereum.
The NFTs showcase former President Donald Trump dressed up as boxers, wrestlers, pilots, and astronauts – with videos showing Trump himself advertising the cards.
It’s a scam.
Donald Trump recently made a “major announcement” to sell digital trading cards featuring cartoon images of himself for $99 each, offering anyone who bought all 47 cards an exclusive dinner date with him in return. They sold out quickly and raised over $5 million – however, the deal turned out to be fraudulent as images for NFT INT came from CIC Digital LLC, registered in Delaware, owned by Nick Luna, who once worked at the White House.
These digital cards feature former President Trump in various poses, from being the playing-card king of hearts to rocking out on stage and even wearing an American flag pin on his jacket. Each digital creation can be traded or collected and come complete with its digital certificate as proof of uniqueness; buyers also stand a chance of winning prizes like dinner with Trump himself or golfing on one of his courses!
Clark Mitchell, the award-winning illustrator who designed these cards, boasts extensive design and illustration experience. His imagery has appeared for brands including Hasbro, Mattel, Disney, Coke, and Corona; additionally, he is a skilled voice actor, appearing on popular shows such as Saturday Night Live.
But despite all of this excitement over NFT cards, the market for them has quickly become uncertain. Prices dropped sharply after reports surfaced of possible links between this collection and serial crypto scammer, and people began withdrawing money from this project.
Though these cards haven’t sold well at stores yet, they continue to gain widespread interest online and on social media. The first series sold out quickly; another set may follow soon. NFT cards may raise considerable funds; how much of this goes toward campaign-specific causes remains unknown.
No matter if or when the cards help Trump’s campaign, his cheap stunt will unlikely change voter perception of him. Instead, it proves that the former President has created an army of millions willing to give money and support him financially.
It’s a gimmick.
Trump supporters were expecting him to make an important announcement regarding his 2024 presidential bid this week; instead, he surprised fans with an unexpected development: He began selling $99 non-fungible token digital trading cards of him dressed up as a cowboy, astronaut, or superhero; these include one card featuring him shooting laser beams out of his eyes!
Trump has already generated millions of dollars through sales of NFT cards that carry an eye-watering price tag, though their exact financial repercussions remain unclear. These cards appear to be sold by an obscure Utah strip mall LLC called CIC Digital; their website features a disclaimer that states the trading cards do not pertain directly to his campaign, yet his financial disclosure forms indicate he may receive most of their proceeds as revenue.
NFTs resemble virtual coins because they have value and can be traded on a blockchain network. Yet, unlike traditional currency, they can be created and destroyed at will by their creators – putting them vulnerable to manipulation in an environment such as the internet, where verifying sources can be complex. They have been utilized in illegal activities like drug trafficking and money laundering.
James Austin Johnson opened SNL with a sketch mocking Trump’s announcement of trading cards, pricing each at $99 — “seeming like an excessive sum?” but these cards belong to Donald Trump himself! And they are entirely legitimate products, just like cannabis, for that price!
Mikey Day appeared as Trump Jr. to help promote these cards as “amazing and a steal” about the Mar-a-Lago raid. On Weekend Update, Colin Jost also poked fun at Trump for offering these NFT trading cards given their poor performance in the market; additionally, he discussed a meeting between him and Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, along with Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes.
It’s a swindle
Donald Trump teased a “major announcement” this week, leading MAGA-heads to anticipate something exciting – perhaps his running mate or House speaker nomination, or maybe finally uncovering voter fraud that his campaign had so been fixated upon. What instead occurred was less dramatic: He launched a range of $99 digital trading cards featuring cartoonish images of himself dressed up like superheroes.
Polygon created non-fungible tokens (NFTs) that were released for sale at $99 per card for a limited time beginning on April 9th at Polygon, starting with traditional fiat currencies and Ethereum cryptocurrency for purchase. According to Newsweek, these NFTs had already lost 72% of their value within one week after release; However, widely ridiculed sales generated an estimated windfall for Utah strip mall LLC responsible for creating them.
Before their release, Mr. Trump shared the cards on both social media accounts: Facebook and Instagram. These posts marked Mr. Trump’s first on Instagram since January 6, 2021 (the day of the Capitol Riot) and on Facebook since Meta, the parent company of both platforms, reinstated it three months prior.
But promotional videos for the cards were quite peculiar. One showed the former president dancing with a dog, while another featured him grilling hamburgers and hot dogs before a Labrador Retriever. Other videos showed cosplays including fighter pilot, sheriff with a white duster and red-carpet celebrity roles that may or may not have any basis in reality.
Purchasers were also entered into a sweepstakes to win dinner with Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida; to do so, 47 cards would need to be purchased – which could cost as much as $4,500!
At first glance, Trump’s cards appeared more as an attention-getting publicity stunt. Yet they quickly generated widespread debate, including from late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Seth Meyers. Furthermore, on Saturday Night Live’s final episode of 2016, James Austin Johnson aimed at Trump for his latest money grab during its cold open segment.
It’s a craze.
Trump’s latest venture is selling digital trading cards for 99$ each on Polygon, available to be bought using either fiat currency or Ethereum cryptocurrency. Each card features different images of him dressed as a superhero, rockstar, monster truck driver, or burger flipper, yet they sold out within an hour despite their high cost! According to the Polygon website, they also claim anyone buying 47 cards will be invited for dinner with Trump – although it appears this offer could be a scam.
These cards are part of a non-fungible token (NFT) collection released this week. NFTs are virtual assets that can be traded on designated NFT exchanges; these assets can be created by anyone, from artists and celebrities alike; some even become collectibles such as Donald Trump cards – but at an undiscounted $99 each, they might not seem worth your consideration.
Jimmy Kimmel lampooned Trump NFTs during Tuesday night’s episode of his show, mocking their tacky images and high prices. Kimmel noted that they weren’t real trading cards but digital ones, which meant buying nothing in reality; therefore, if fans want them, I suggest saving your money for more worthwhile investments like supporting real presidential candidates instead.
Seth Meyers aimed the cards during Late Night with Seth Meyers. He asked why former president Obama would use his platform to promote cartoons depicting himself and criticized their release just weeks after an NFT marketplace founder was charged with eight counts of fraud.
Though often criticized, the non-fungible token market has experienced unprecedented growth. Many individuals have realized significant profits by purchasing and reselling NFTs. Furthermore, many celebrities, such as Snoop Dogg and rapper Cai Guo-Qiang have launched NFT collections that they sell. Their value depends on market demand – once these cards gain popularity, they’ll likely be resold at higher prices.
