Donald Trump Announces NFTs

Regardless of where you land on the political spectrum, most of us can agree that ex-US President Donald Trump was a headline-grabbing figure. From his often-erratic tweets to his policies, international media reported endlessly about him during his term and has kept up with his activities even after.

The latest of his activities is, somewhat surprisingly, an NFT venture. That’s correct, a former US president is launching an NFT collection. Announced on December 15, 2022, these NFTs are in the form of trading cards that show Trump in a number of different themes. 

This launch was confirmed by Trump himself on the social media platform Truth Social. 

“These limited edition cards feature amazing ART of my Life & Career! Collect all of your favorite Trump Digital Trading Cards, very much like a baseball card, but hopefully much more exciting… Only $99 each! Would make a great Christmas gift. Don’t Wait. They will be gone, I believe, very quickly!” he said. 

NFTs of Donald Trump

As per an official statement from Donald Trump, these NFTs are based on the Polygon blockchain and a total of 45,000 ‘trading cards’ will be minted. They will have different rarity levels, with some being one-of-ones while others will be one-of-tens (the official site has stated that no more than 20 will exist of a single NFT). These will be sold exclusively on Trump’s own collecttrumpcards.com site and will come at a cost of $99 plus transaction fees. 

So what do these trading cards look like, exactly? They all show Trump as different characters such as him in military attire holding a gun, as a superhero and in front of the Hollywood sign (though it is redesigned to show ‘Trumpland’). It is loosely reminiscent of Anthony Hopkins’ recent NFT collection that shows the various archetypes he has embodies in his decades-long Hollywood career.

Besides the rights to these images, those who buy these NFTs can also enjoy some perks. Anyone who buys at least 45 NFTs (a nod to Trump being the 45th president of the United States) will win an invitation to a gala dinner in Florida with Trump. Along with this, the site is running sweepstakes that will see winners get access to meet-and-greets with Trump himself, a Zoom call, and even the chance to play golf with him.

While it is certainly unusual for an ex-US president to launch a project like this, Trump is not the first in his family to do so. His wife, Melania Trump has launched several holiday-themed NFTs over the years and they have proven to be a success in their own right.

What This Means

Just like with everything associated with Trump, those who love him will criticize it and his hardcore supporters will likely rally around this project. But the endless controversy around Trump aside, it does show that NFTs have reached a high level of public visibility. 

If nothing else, the NFT industry can say that an ex-US president has endorsed the asset class.